The Entrepreneur’s Toolkit is a resource to help budding and existing entrepreneurs with taking their enterprise to the next level. Each month, I provide tools of the trade, take the pulse of entrepreneurship, and resources to help you develop personally. Consider this column your coach for personal and entrepreneurial growth. I welcome ideas and questions about entrepreneurship that you may need assistance with. This is your space to grow.
Personal improvement
As entrepreneurs or budding entrepreneurs, having a plan to stay motivated is key to your success. There will be plenty of challenges as you go about operating your business including, but not limited to finding new customers, dealing with customers, having the right staffing and of course finding financial resources to stay the course. Having a solid foundation will help. Here are some keys to help you get started:
Hour of Power. In your current situation, do you have an hour to spend on personal improvement? I hope that your answer is yes. Here are some actions you can take in an hour a day:
-
Read a personal improvement book.
-
Take a walk to reflect on your personal and business goals.
-
Listen to a talk on www.ted.com for inspiration.
-
Listen to an audiobook on personal improvement.
-
Take an online course to increase your skills and understanding of entrepreneurship.
Brain Team. When you have doubting self talk on a matter, consider incorporating others to keep you on a clear sense of purpose and direction. This is where a brain team comes into play. The team can help you decide on actions to take on challenges or opportunities that may come your way. The brain team can be made up of friends (no “yes” one’s), colleagues, or individuals who you feel will provide you with honest feedback. As the old saying goes, “its better to have more heads to help you reach your goals.” Ok, I took some liberty in adding to the old saying.
Resources to explore. There are many resources available to assist you in your personal development and the development of your business toolkit. Consider these resources:
-
www.audible.com, type in self help. Your public library has personal development audio books that you can check out.
-
If you listen to podcasts, there are a host of podcasts on personal development that you can download and listen to at your convenience
-
Your local community college has continuing education courses based on the type of skills you want to acquire.
-
There are some good resources online to use to acquire new skills. Consider: lynda.com, udemy.com or sba.gov
Next step. Now that you have this information, what action will you take? If you are ready to take action, email me to obtain your complimentary personal improvement plan.