Are you a creative individual looking to turn your passion into a business?
Whatever your reason, launching out into the world of creative entrepreneurship can be scary. Entrepreneurs are different than freelancers because entrepreneurs are constantly thinking of their next big idea and how they can create new opportunities for themselves and increase their overall profit. For most entrepreneurs, this means starting their own business.
Starting your own business is a huge financial investment that comes with a number of risks. While many find starting their own business personally fulfilling, others struggle to get their business off the ground and end up getting emotionally and financially burned out.
Mindfullness by Hurca
If you’re wondering if you have what it takes to start your own business, keep reading to find out the top characteristics every creative entrepreneur needs.
Determined
Starting your own business is going to take hard work and long hours. There are going to be ups and downs (and possible failures), but you have to be determined and resilient enough to want to keep going. If your initial ideas don’t work, you need to be willing to make adjustments and move forward.
You’re going to need to have an ultimate goal and the ability to break that goal down into smaller steps. And if you aren’t able to move past a certain step, you’re going to need to be willing and determined enough to change that goal so that you can continue working towards the ultimate goal.
Risk-taker
You’re going to need to be willing to take some risks along the way, especially when it comes to money. The first risk you’re going to need to take is getting rid of a stable paycheck. If you’re working a 9-to-5 at the moment and budget around that, you’re going to need to risk losing that stable income until your business is more secure.
You’ll also need to be willing to give up some of your savings to help fund your idea. For example, if you’re trying to sell products online, you’re going to need to invest in a selling platform, such as Podia. Podia is specifically designed to sell digital products (such as e-books). Like many selling platforms, Podia offers a free trial but eventually charges for its services.
Another financial risk you’ll eventually need to take is hiring employees. If your business takes off, you may eventually need an administrative assistant or a partner. But anytime you hire someone, you risk the possibility of them not being able to do their job adequately, which could hurt your business.
Collaborative
All creative entrepreneurs need to have good people skills that allow them to work collaboratively. To grow your business, you need to have the ability to find and network with the right people.
Growing your network allows you to meet others in your field, which allows you to get new ideas for different techniques and tools that you can use to grow your business. Collaborating allows you to extend your network to further increase your business prospects.
Enthusiastic
You really have to love what you do to keep driving forward. You have to have a certain degree of optimism and a willingness to learn. The optimism helps you keep going even during those times of failure. The willingness to learn allows you to keep growing. There will always be ways that you can improve within your industry and the business world.
The more enthusiastic and passionate you are about your work, the easier it will be to remain optimistic and to have that drive to keep learning.
The Modulor by Mari Seroshtanova
Business mindset
And, finally, if you want to run a business, you’re going to need a business mindset. Whether you like it or not, you’re going to need to know how to sell your products to the right customers and investors.
You need to be able to think strategically. Anytime before you invest in an activity, think about how it will drive your business forward. You need to be able to sit back and think about whatever strategies you’re implementing are moving your company forward.
Concluding thoughts
To be a creative entrepreneur, you have to be willing to accept whatever problems you encounter along the way and know how to overcome them in a positive manner. Your focus needs to be on growing your business to make it the best it can be.
If you’re not willing to accept the commitments that come with a business, freelancing is a good alternative. You can still work for yourself, but won’t necessarily run into the same problems that entrepreneurs will need to overcome.
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