When who you are is more important than a business plan

You don't need to be a business owner to start thinking like one and that can give you the edge.

You can hone the skillsets required for successful entrepreneurship no matter what your current job title. Let’s look at 3 ways you can being to develop your entrepreneurial mindset in your everyday life:

1. Practice being decisive. Entrepreneurs, innovators, and new business owners must develop the ability to analyse a situation, absorb relevant information, and make confident decisions. Small businesses and start-ups can be ruined by indecision, which is why making a decision with confidence is one of the most vital entrepreneurial skills. You can practice decisiveness in your personal life, whether you’re ordering at a restaurant or making plans for an evening out. Practising making small decisions with confidence on a regular basis will pay off when you’re faced with big challenges in business. Decisiveness is a learned skill.

2. Redefine failure. Failing typically has negative connotations, but the best entrepreneurs turn failure into something positive. Failing indicates that you’ve tried something, which can be a scary thing to do in the first place. However, true failure is not trying at all. Practice failure 'conversations'. You can do this with a friend or colleague. Have them ask you about your failures every day for 2 weeks, no matter how small the failure is. Answer honestly. Soon, you will find that instead of feeling bad when you discuss your failures, you’ll feel confident to discuss what you’ve attempted as opposed to failed. When failure is redefined as part of the success journey, the fear it breeds no longer has a hold over you.

3. Remain curious. Curiosity is one of the most important traits for entrepreneurs. To constantly learn and maintain your competitive edge, you must always seek out new people and new experiences. Never lose the curiosity to see around corners.
   

Preparation is key, in any endeavour, and that includes business ownership.

However, there's more to it than a business plan if you want to get ahead of the game.

From the offset, we aren't asked if we have the personal skillsets for business ownership, or the mindset to tackle the challenges we will face.

These 3 tips are where you can start that preparation.