The Entrepreneur's Checklist
The Entrepreneur's Checklist
If you're considering entrepreneurship, here's a checklist to help you decide if it's the right path for you. Being an entrepreneur is not for everyone. It’s important to understand that entrepreneurship is a journey with its own successes and failures.
The entrepreneurial path can be difficult and difficult times may be the most rewarding and fulfilling times. I don't have all the answers and am not predicting what will happen in your future. I do know that entrepreneurship is possible, but it takes hard work, discipline, planning, and dedication to succeed.
Here are a few of the items that I believe will prepare you for an entrepreneurial career:
1. A positive attitude. The entrepreneur's creed is “I'll never give up until my last breath.'” The entrepreneur is perseverant in their pursuit of the goal through whatever means necessary to complete their mission . . .a positive attitude is essential to a successful career in business or entrepreneurship.
2. Focus. The entrepreneur must commit to their goals and have a vision that is clear and understandable. The entrepreneur must have the ability to be one-pointed in the execution of their plan or mission. This all begins with proper planning, self-assessment, and preparation.
3. A desire to learn new skills or acquire new knowledge: In an entrepreneurial career it is necessary to learn as much as possible about a business, its industry, and customers. Because of this learning process everything will probably seem new or different which will require learning new skills or acquiring new knowledge to succeed.
4. Discipline: many entrepreneurs set goals and then write them on a whiteboard. They then make sure to achieve these resolutions because they have written them down on the board. This is an important part of the entrepreneur's work ethic, which ensures that it is consistently done. Much like dieting, those who are disciplined in pursuing goals are more likely to achieve them.
5. Work hard; play hard: Some people dream of having their own businesses, but don't have time for their own business. It is important that you focus on your goals in order to make time for your business endeavor and keep yourself balanced at home and at work.
6. Have the ability to take and give criticism: You will receive many criticisms about your business, whether it be good, bad, or indifferent. It is important to take and give criticism regardless of its form so that you can improve yourself and your business.
7. Be willing to change: In all things in life we change; therefore, I believe it is important that you are flexible enough to make changes as things come up throughout the execution of a plan or as you develop new strategies and tactics to successfully achieve your goals . . .you have no idea where or when change will impact you so always be prepared for whatever might come up during execution.
8. Have a plan: The entrepreneur must have a plan that they can follow while simultaneously being flexible enough to change as the situation requires. They also need to be able to start with a rough draft then make adjustments as things change with their business.
9. Have discipline for planning, self-assessment, and preparation: In all cases, achieving goals are based on being prepared for the situation at hand. Having discipline or a proper work ethic is fundamental in this process. Many successful people fail because they give in to distractions and don't stay focused on their goals. They may be going through good times or bad times; however, their focus should remain consistent . . .this requires discipline and dedication on your part.
10. Have the right mindset: The entrepreneur has to have a positive and encouraging mindset at all times. There is no room for negativity or negative thoughts when they're involved with their business. Having this attitude will help you in many areas of your life, especially when things are not going well in your business.
11. Be flexible: Many successful entrepreneurs start out by being too rigid with their principles and plans, which causes them to get off track along the way. This is because it's difficult to be flexible if you're too rigid about things . . .however, flexibility is essential if you want to be successful or even fail in your goals.
12. Never give up: The entrepreneur is not afraid of hard work and never gives up until his or her last breath. Those who are successful in their endeavors have this attitude and never gives up on achieving their goals.
13. Set goals: Goals are important because they make you focus on what you're trying to achieve in your career . . .when setting goals be as specific as possible because it will allow you to measure your progress and success over time.
14. Develop a plan: It is important to develop a plan at the beginning of your business or entrepreneurial pursuit so that you can actively work towards your goal and make sure that you stay on track with it.
15. A positive attitude is essential: The entrepreneur's creed is “I'll never give up until my last breath.'” You have to have the mentality of a winner and the ability to always be positive no matter what happens in your life or in your business or career.
16. Learn from mistakes: Businesses are run by people who make mistakes . . .however, most of the time these mistakes can be avoided with proper planning, preparation, and preparation. Learn from your mistakes and move on with your life.
17. Have the ability to fail: There is no win without first failing. Winning doesn't mean you'll never fail, but that you're able to bounce back from it.
18. Never give up: Never give up on your dreams and goals in business or in life . . .the only difference between the winners and losers is discipline and dedication.
19. Ability to focus on your goals : We all know that having a goal is important but being able to focus on that goal while concurrently being flexible enough to adapt as situations change is even more important in achieving success in any endeavor you undertake.
20. Ability to take criticism: In any endeavor, people will scrutinize what you're doing or saying because of your achievements or lack thereof. It is important to be able to take this criticism regardless of its form . . .you can never be too careful with the things that you say and do in front of others.
21. Have a supportive group: The entrepreneur can't rely solely on winning over others while they're trying to achieve their goals; thus, they have to have a group that is supportive of their endeavors and successes as it relates to their business or career. This should be an established group if you don't already have one then it is crucial that you develop one right away!
22.
Conclusion:
I've learned that success comes from a number of factors. It is absolutely imperative to work hard, have the ability to take and give criticism, be flexible and have a supportive group. Work on developing your business plan as well as your personal plan for achieving your goals, whether it's in business or in life; this all requires hard work from day one!
For more information, please check out my website: www.theitalianbakery.com
About The Italian Bakery
The Italian Bakery is a cookbook for passionate home cooks who want to make their own authentic Italian food at home without spending the night in the kitchen.