What skills do I need to run a business?

Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom. Therefore, it’s important to know your strengths and weaknesses and to keep up with the latest developments.

Apart from having specific knowledge about your sector, you should also have:

• A basic understanding of finance: this enables you to take a meaningful look at your company's finances and be in a position to look for solutions.
• Digital skills: as a business in today’s world, you also need to be in a digitally strong position to meet your customers' expectations.
• Administrative skills: there are a lot of tools around nowadays to simplify your administration and save you time, such as invoicing and planning tools.

If your company is growing, it’s important to learn how to delegate efficiently. For instance, hiring additional staff or outsourcing certain tasks to external partners can be valuable, because your time is precious and what you do yourself isn't necessarily always better. Instead, your focus should be on the tasks that give you the best results relative to the time and effort you put in.

Besides knowledge, you also need a number of soft skills to make it as a businessperson. They include:

• Vision and flexibility: you know what you want and can think creatively to overcome obstacles. You also know how to adapt to new situations thanks to your many entrepreneurial talents.
• Assertiveness and social skills: you need to be decisive and to be confident in defending and selling your project. Networking is also important, as the success of your business often depends partly on the strength of your network.
• Being customer-centric and having an eye for quality: it may be a hackneyed phrase, but the customer is always right. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand your customer and find out what they want so you can adjust your quality and service accordingly.