7 ways to proactively develop your

entrepreneurial skills
What else can you do to enhance your entrepreneurial skills?
 

1. Refine your interpersonal skills

Be confident, friendly and approachable–consistently. Practice these things daily and they’ll become
habitual. Of course, everyone has their “off” days. Yet, these interpersonal skills can help weather
them.

2. Connect with other entrepreneurs

Twitter is a great place to start. As a real-time platform, it’s perfect for eyeballing what others are up
to and discovering key people.

You can create lists that filter what you see, too. Create a list with hashtags on topics relevant to you.
Create another with the top entrepreneurs you admire, or one focusing on competitors.

Next, join an entrepreneur organization. There are free ones and paid-for platforms for upskilling
programs. This way, you can often connect with fellow entrepreneurs at the same stage in their work.
They may even be trying to solve the same problems. A quick internet search is all it takes to get
started.

https://skillincubator.com/

https://yecnext.com/

3. Join communities in your industry

I heard about an online platform via Sara Zailskas Walsh, UX Writer & Content Strategist at Google
(I discovered her by listening to a talk she gave in partnership with GatherContent).

Content Strategy is the name of the platform. So far, it appears to operate by asking the community
questions. Members reply with personal insights and possible solutions. This kind of collaboration is
gold if you’re a solo practitioner like Sara and I are. Hunt these communities down and introduce
yourself.
If there isn’t a community yet you could always start one. Volunteering to lead it, whether that’s a
monthly meetup, or an online thing, is a sure-fire way to learn quickly.

https://community.content-strategy.com

4. Make a book list

There are many great books people mention in passing conversation. Anything you hear about
through colleagues, Ted Talks, conversations, and conferences can help enhance your entrepreneurial
skills. Make a list. Then slowly work your way through reading–or listening to–them. Here’s one I
personally recommend about busting out of your comfort zone.

5. Practice resilience
Learn from things that don’t work. Challenges happen, and if things don’t go to plan you need to
work out why so you don’t fail at the same thing twice. Regular retros where you look at what went
well, what didn’t go so well, and solutionize can help document and mitigate risks. There’s great
nobleness in being able to stand up, dust yourself down, and try again.

6. Ringfence time to de-stress

Your learning rate as a proactive entrepreneur is going to rocket. With events to attend, talks to prep,
and elevator pitches to perfect, your entrepreneurial skills are bound to improve. But work can easily
take over. Sticking to that running club (or starting one for entrepreneurs) is important. Catch a film,
or take time out to read a book that’s on your personal rather than professional list.

7. Keep your learning active

The need for continuous learning is high as an entrepreneur. Look for courses in your field (think
about your strengths and weaknesses to spot gaps). Conferences and events, seminars, and meetups
offer easy ways to upskill and make new connections at the same time.

Another thing you can try is a short Bootcamp–some of which are free. Have a look at Eventbrite for
these, or ask in the communities you join, or on Twitter. The incredible thing about people is that
help offered is often returned. All you have to do is reach out.

What Does ‘Being Entrepreneurial’ Mean?

In the era of digitally-driven startup businesses, we often associate entrepreneurship

with the start of a new business. Being entrepreneurial has more to do with the mindset
—the way you think and do things differently. You can be entrepreneurial even if you’re
working for someone else. It means that you have the characteristics often associated
with entrepreneurs such as self-confidence, need for achievement, flexibility,
perseverance and responsibility for your own destiny. Being entrepreneurial means
thinking outside the box and learning from failures and moving forward.

Entrepreneurial thinking includes the following characteristics:

 Thinking Ahead And Having A Vision For The Future

 Seeing Opportunities In Not-So-Obvious Scenarios And Exploring Them
 Meeting People From Different Walks Of Life, Growing A Network And
Broadening Perspectives
 Seeking Guidance And Support In The Form Of Mentorship—To Visualize A
Goal Better
 Being Agile, Adaptable And Finding New Ways To Adjust To Changing
Circumstances

Anyone can have an entrepreneurial spirit as long as they prioritize self-development by

seeking opportunities and being innovative, resourceful and flexible.

What Are Entrepreneurial Skills?

What Are Entrepreneurial Skills?

Whether you’re about to start your own business or help someone grow
theirs, entrepreneurial skills can help you achieve goals with greater efficiency. Here is
a list of basic entrepreneurial skills that’ll help you take stock of your strengths and
weaknesses and focus on your priorities.

1. Strategic Thinking
Innovation is one of the most important entrepreneurial skills. Finding creative
solutions to problems lies at the heart of entrepreneurship. When you think
strategically and break a problem down, you will see the low-hanging fruit of new
opportunities.

2. Time Management
Time is of the essence for driving and achieving organizational goals. You need to
plan, define milestones and execute action items by allocating time and prioritizing
tasks. You can progress successfully when you know how much time something
will take to complete.

3. Efficiency
High efficiency yields good performance. In addition to time management, staying
organized helps focus on priorities. Goal-setting and measuring progress helps in
tracking growth. Moreover, motivation and a morale boost can improve
productivity and efficiency. Find ways to keep yourself encouraged and interested.
 4. Resilience
There will be times when you face rejection, lose focus and face burnout in your
professional journey. A healthy entrepreneurial spirit will encourage you to deal
with setbacks and overcome obstacles. Resilience teaches you how to pick
yourself up, dust yourself off and move ahead.
5. Communication And Networking
Clear communication is integral to building interpersonal relationships. Whether
it’s your coworkers or external clients, every interaction counts. It helps you grow
your network and expands the scope of business or employment opportunities.
Communication is one of the top-priority entrepreneurial skills.

6. Teamwork And Leadership

Being entrepreneurial means taking initiative and taking on leadership roles.
Whether you’re your own boss or working for someone else, leadership
qualities help in motivating your team. Continuous guidance and support are
valuable traits of a true leader.
7. Curiosity
The zeal to step outside the comfort zone and pursue lifelong learning are traits
that define a successful entrepreneur. To explore new opportunities, you need to
be curious, proactive and motivated. You need to encourage out-of-the-box
thinking and discover new ways of problem-solving and decision-making. Being
passionate about your work helps greatly.

By strengthening these basic entrepreneurial skills, you’ll not only focus on your end
goals but also discover opportunities for personal development.

How To Develop Entrepreneurial Skills

People resort to multiple ways to build and improve entrepreneurial skills. Here are
some effective strategies that’ll help with the process.

 Take A Different Path And Try To Come Up With New Ways To Solve A
Problem
 Don’t Let Challenges Discourage You; Put A Fair Fight And Make Use Of All
Available Resources
 Volunteer To Lead And Show Initiative Whenever You Can; Leadership And
Proactiveness Are Key Entrepreneurial Skills
 Seek A Sounding Board For Your Ideas—Learn From A Mentor Who Can
Advise You About Pursuing Opportunities
 Take A Course That Helps Grow Your Management And Leadership Skills;
Find Other Professional Networks Through Workshops And Seminars
It’s evident that leadership lies at the heart of true entrepreneurial spirit. Leadership isn’t
only about managing teams and delegating responsibility but also how you take charge
and face challenges. Harappa’s Leading Self course will teach you how to take
ownership and make room for new learning opportunities. It will help you improve your
performance by overcoming internal and external obstacles in the way of your true
potential. Cultivate a growth mindset and step outside your comfort zone. Pursue your
entrepreneurial spirit today!

What is entrepreneurial skills

Entrepreneurial skills centre around attitudes (soft skills), such as persistence, networking and
self-confidence on the one hand and enabling skills (hard skills) on the other hand, including
basic start- up knowledge, business planning, financial literacy and managerial skills. Effective
entrepreneurship education policies and programmes focus on developing these entrepreneurial
competencies and skills, which are transferable and beneficial in many work contexts. The aim is
not only to strengthen the capacity and desire of more individuals to start their own enterprises,
but also to develop an entrepreneurial culture in society.
What is the meaning of entrepreneurial skills?
Entrepreneur skills include various skill sets such as leadership, business
management, time management, creative thinking and problem-solving. You can
apply these skills in many job roles and industries. These entrepreneur skills are vital for
promoting innovation, business growth and competitiveness

Importance of enhancement of the entrepreneurial skills

It enhances business skills, such as creativity, innovation, calculated risk-taking, and problem-
solving, which all in turn help to generate business ideas, and eventually encourages the
establishment and management of businesses to meet socio-economic needs.