3 Things you need to become an Empowered Entrepreneur

To be empowered means that you have confidence in your ability. To be empowered means that you know that you can access the resources required to be successful in business or life. Being empowered is the capacity to get things done. As an entrepreneur empowerment means that you have confidence in yourself, your vision and your abilities.

To be truly empowered as an entrepreneur there are three necessary requirements:

1.      Competence and Demonstration

Competence is having the right amount of knowledge and skills that will enable take on different situations. Competence is the ability carry out a task efficiently and successfully. In other to be successful as an entrepreneur you must gain expertise in your chosen field of business. Increasing competence means that your employees, potential investors or even the public must see you as an expert in your chosen field.

Having an academic degree or gaining specialist experience in your chosen field can prove competence. If you lack the knowledge or experience, it will be difficult for you to lead your company to success or even be respected by people. If you desire to be a consultant, what academic degree, professional qualification or specialist experience makes you an authority in your chosen field? Why should people or businesses seek your help?

The reality here is that entrepreneurs will not instantly possess all the knowledge or skills that will be required to successful. They must be willing to learn as the go up the ladder of success through dedication and hard work. Greater competence will come from experience and continuous practice. Also, you will be required to continuously demonstrate to people how and why you have earned your position.

Use your story to motivate and inspire people to achieve success for themselves. They must see you as someone worthy to be followed. If you gain all the knowledge skills and experience, and you do not demonstrate this to people, they will not be willing to support you. Just because you have an academic degree or experience doesn’t guarantee that you will be a successful entrepreneur, you must demonstrate it. Put your knowledge, skills and experience to work!

2.      Commitment

In other to achieve great results, you must be committed and not just interested in a field or line of business. Being committed means that you are willing to go through the process of hard work and thoroughness involved in success. Commitment means FOCUS – following one course of action until successful. Being interested or even having the passion will not guarantee you success.

If you are passionate about writing, and you must commit to the hard work and process involved in becoming successful. The process of becoming successful as a writer may include late nights, rejected articles, taking the pain to educate yourself and building new skills. If you do not go through the process, then you only have a passion for writing, but you do not want to commit to the course of becoming a successful writer! It takes commitment to be great at something.

As an entrepreneur, your employees must see that you are committed to your vision, goals and expectation. Commitment helps you build momentum. To build a great business, your team members must buy-in to your vision, and they must commit to achieving this vision.   In the long run, commitment helps you achieve success for yourself, your team members and your business.

3.      Character

To be empowered as an entrepreneur also means you have the right character and attitude that is typical of successful entrepreneurs. The successfully entrepreneur is typically someone who seeks and takes on responsibility. They have the drive to pursue their goals. They are persistent and show initiative. They are robust enough to go through periods of stress and heavy workload.

Successful entrepreneurs are motivated by their passion for the business. They are driven by the need to be successful. They are willing to take risks, and they are not afraid of failure. They maintain a positive attitude; they are ready to learn from their mistakes, and they are never afraid to try again.

The ability to keep a positive attitude is key to their creativity. According to Colin Powell “Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier” this means belief in yourself, your vision and in achieving success. An entrepreneur that can maintain perpetual optimism will drive their followers to share their optimistic vision and ideas. Remember that leadership by example is contagious.

To empower yourself as a successful entrepreneur it is important that you gain competence and demonstrate it. You must be committed to achieving your vision and goals through hard work and focus. Ultimately, your success will be greater if you have a positive attitude, optimism and the drive to achieve success.