Five skills every female entrepreneur needs to master

Business

Are you self-employed or the owner of your own business? Read five skills you need to master to be successful!

Women make fantastic business leaders (and may even make better freelancers than men). We have a proven ability to identify and mitigate risk, focus on self-improvement and a strong ambition to succeed, making us a force to be reckoned with in the world of business.

So what does it really take to win at being your own boss, and have the career you’ve always wanted? Aside from determination, passion and courage there a few skills every female entrepreneur should master for ultimate career success.

Five skills every female entrepreneur needs to master

Jenny Winslow, Senior Marketing Executive from Intouch Accounting, explains what the top five skills you need are, and just how easy they are to achieve.

1) Networking

Ask any super-successful entrepreneur about networking, and they’ll tell you it’s one of the most important ingredients to being a self-employed superstar.

So how can you hone your networking skills to ensure you’re operating at ‘pro’ level? As with anything that’s worthwhile, you’ll need to lay the groundwork to see a substantial payoff.

Start off small by speaking to old colleagues and business contacts to get an idea of what’s going on in your chosen industry, then expand by attending conferences, joining in on conversations on LinkedIn and introducing yourself to new people.

The people you connect with will want to connect with you and your contacts (just as you will want to with the people they know) and so on – the process never ends! Always remember that once you’ve met or spoken to them, to add them to your LinkedIn.

You never know, they might just be your next client, or be able to introduce you to future clients. After all, it’s not what you know, it’s who you know!

Here are some tips to help you brush up on your networking skills:

2) Organisation

How many times have you been in the shower, or half way down the fruit and veg aisle doing your weekly shop, when a firebolt of business inspiration strikes you? With no pen to hand, it escapes your mind before you have the chance to jot it down.

Being able to keep track of your brilliant ideas, plans for future development and business forecasting are essential for professional growth, so ensure you’re able to make a notes at any point during your day. With plenty of apps out there to help you do just that, make sure you’re fully prepared for when the next firebolt strikes.

Read tips to help you be more organised:

3) Communication

Communication is key when building a successful business empire. If you’re able to build trust in yourself, both as an individual and through your business offerings, you will have a much smoother transition when talking to clients (both new and old).

So let people know what projects you’re working on, and be open with your availability and what types of contracts and work you’re on the lookout for.

Remember to also use your skills when talking to clients about what they expect from you and your skills. The more you talk the easier is to understand what your client wants, and more importantly, how you’re going to give it to them.

Here are some tips to help you improve your communication skills:

4) Leadership

This can be a tricky one to master (especially if you’re a one-woman-band), but being on your own means you are able to be a leader of your own professional destiny.

Being able to cultivate the mindset of a leader means you’re able to control where and how your business is run, without intervention or control from outside parties.

It will, however, mean that you’ll have to learn how to manage, coordinate and problem-solve on your own. But there’s something to be said for those who go it alone, and the pride and self satisfaction you’ll feel from doing so is worth it in the end.

Read tips on how to be a better leader:

5) Patience

According to the saying, patience “…is a virtue, possess it if you can, seldom found in woman, never found in man.” And indeed, patience is a skill which very few are able to master – but one you’ll need as an entrepreneur.

For, while you may want to build a successful business, this often takes time and a lot of patience.

No entrepreneur will reach their business goals right away, so ensure you set yourself lots of smaller goals as well as your overall business goal, to ensure your patience is rewarded along the way.

Read tips on how to work smarter and more productively, as you work steadily towards your business goals:

Final thoughts

Running your own business will come with inevitable ups and downs, but if you’re able to ride them out, it will be worth it in the end.

Create and follow your own plan, work hard, adjust to any changes and challenges along the way, always strive to improve, and you will succeed as an entrepreneur!

Jenny Winslow works for Intouch Accounting, the expert contractor accountancy for Limited Company contractors.