Although I am not much of a list person, today I came across a list that I think is worth mentioning. It is a list of twenty-five common characteristics of successful entrepreneurs, and it originally appeared in “The Ultimate Home Based Business Handbook” by James Stephenson. For those of us that are already running our home businesses, this list is a good self-evaluation tool that we can use to identify areas where we can improve in order to achieve even greater success. For people that are wondering whether a home-based business is right for them, the list is useful as a starting point to see how many characteristics you have and which, if any, you may want to work on acquiring before you start your business.
The great thing about all of the characteristics on this list is that they can be learned. There is no “business success gene” that you either have or you don’t, and many successful home-based professionals have worked very hard to cultivate the very talents that have brought them success. It should come as no surprise that doing what you love is on the list. When you do what you love, you are able to summon the energy to do great things. Starting a business is an intense process, and if you are fueled by a desire to do what you love than you will be able to make it through the grueling hours and seemingly endless details of the startup phase.
Some of my other favorites from the list include taking what you do seriously and remembering that it is all about the customer. Taking what you do seriously includes ignoring or even challenging comments from people that say things like “Oh, you don’t have an office?” or “It must be nice to work in your pajamas”. If you are a true professional, the image that you create for yourself and your home-based business may well change the minds of even the most skeptical people. An emphasis on customer service is at the heart of the most successful home-based businesses. In fact, one of the greatest things about owning one’s own business (in my opinion) is that you are the only one who decides how you will treat your customers. There are no corporate policies to follow, no boss looking over your shoulder to see whether you are handling customers “their way”, and no constraints that can prevent you from developing the type of customer relations that will wow your clients.
As you can see, these are characteristics that can be learned and improved upon over time. It is my hope that would-be entrepreneurs who seek out and read this helpful list will realize how much “success material” they already have within themselves and perhaps get the courage to move in the direction of their home-based dreams.
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