Common Traits of Successful Business Owners

What does it take to succeed in business? You might think the skills and traits required of the CEO of a multinational company are worlds away from those of a small business owner, but in fact successful business leaders have a lot in common, whatever the size of the company they lead.

Essential skillsets that every business owner needs

Running your own business can be a pretty complicated juggling act. Especially if you’re a sole trader, you need to have a finger in every pie, doing everything from marketing your product to organising deliveries. That’s why it’s essential to ensure that your skillsets are up to date, focusing in particular on areas that don’t come naturally. The most successful business leaders excel in all of the following areas:

Presentation skills – for those all-important pitches to potential clients.
Meeting skills – understanding how to achieve the meeting objectives within a satisfactory timeframe.
Communication skills – the ability to communicate effectively with people on every level is an essential key to success in business.
Confidence – confidence in your product or services starts with you. It’s important that you appear self-assured and certain about your business, in order to convince others of its merits.
Time management – when you’re a business owner, your time is limited. It’s important to use it efficiently in order to get the best possible results for your company.
Organisation skills – leading a business requires an exceptional level of organisation. This includes getting things done day-to-day, but also looking to the future and planning ahead, so that you can take advantage of opportunities and anticipate any pitfalls that come your way.
Business etiquette – closely linked to communication, understanding business etiquette (which includes dressing and behaving appropriately for a business context) is essential when dealing with other organisations and networking.

Fill in the gaps with management training

If you feel you don’t currently have what it takes in one of these areas, it’s not the end of the world. Another behaviour of successful business people is the ability to identify weak points and take action to improve on them. If you want to brush up on your business skills, management training can help you do just that.

If you’re looking for a suitable course, consider the following:

The most effective training sessions don’t simply involve telling people what to do; rather they will challenge you to think about tricky business situations and/or people and explore how you might deal with them.
Much of successful management comes down to soft skills like good communication. Honing your soft skills is likely to pay off by helping you to be a more effective people manager.
How is the training delivered? Online courses might save you time, but it’s been proven that face-to-face training is more suited to developing these ‘soft’ skills.
Will you get to meet others from different backgrounds and sectors? This can be a real eye-opener, allowing you to share experiences and discuss the common challenges you face irrespective of your industry.
What is your tutor’s background? A leadership and management training specialist like Impellus, employs its own trainers with very commercial backgrounds – people who have experienced the same difficulties and challenges that you face. Their personal stories help to bring the training to life, embellishing the theory behind what you’re learning and helping to make it meaningful. You’ll return to the workplace with valuable, practical tools to lead your business and people.