6 Things I've Learned About Being a Better Entrepreneur

Being an entrepreneur takes more than smarts and a good idea. If that were all it took, there would be more successful businesses in the world. We need to develop certain traits and practices to become the best entrepreneur we can be to have a chance at success. Here are a few of those traits:

1.???Value Integrity

Your word still matters when as an entrepreneur the promises we keep - or break - will define your personal brand and how your contemporaries view you. They will determine how they will interact with you.

What others think about the things I believe doesn't matter nearly as much as my integrity.

Some will agree with your ideas, others won't. Still, others won't care about the details. However, sticking to your guns will tell people that you're a person of your word and thus can be trusted. This can determine how many would be willing to follow your vision.

2.???Choose Understanding Over Judgment

Complaining and judging people for their actions is an easy trap but a habit that's critical to replace with a little empathy. It's rarely constructive, and your energies could be better used elsewhere. Instead of looking down at people, develop the habit of understanding them.?

?It's a small change, but it can have a huge impact on what you learn and on your relationships. If nothing else, trying to understand someone can improve your relationship with them.?

3.???Do the Right Thing

Doing the right thing rarely has little to do with business. Running a morally upright business won't necessarily lead to more sales. One thing we always agreed on as a team was delivering quality and what we committed to contractually was the most important part of what we offer OvationMR customers. Even if it came at a cost to our bottom line. However, your success as an entrepreneur goes beyond money. You have to live with yourself after everything is said and done. No amount of money will make up for peace of mind.

4.???Grow Emotionally

The intellectual requirements involved in running a startup are well discussed. Less discussed is the emotional maturity required to handle the stress involved in daily operations. Tempers are going to flare, people are going to annoy each other, and through all that you have to be the bigger person. As a leader now my actions have greater consequences. It is one thing for an employee to snap at a peer, but it's quite another to have the boss snapping at workers.

?To run a successful startup, I / We must continue to focus on emotional growth as one of our goals. I need to stand as an example of how to deal with the trials that my company faces and you as well. The good news is as I keep my head on straight, I can inspire others to do the same.

5.???Be Real

It's easy to be yourself until something's on the line. You never know when a personality trait will hold up your startup, and make no mistake, who you are matters to the average consumer. Modern customers aren't just interested in buying products. They're also interested in supporting causes and people. If who you are or what you believe in doesn't agree with them, they may choose another product. Then the temptation to change - or at least lie - seeps in. What harm could it do?

Turns out, a lot. People have a sense of when someone's faking something, and they don't like it. The potential lost revenue from faking it and losing consumer trust dwarfs any gain you could get from it. Be you.

Be real with the world. Don't just talk about supporting diversity in the workplace and women in leadership - have diversity in the workplace and women and diversity in leadership. It might be a little different at first, and there may be some growing pains, but on the other end, you have a stronger organization and you can take that to the bank.

6.???Focus on Helping Others

?Nothing destroys a startup's potential quite like being self-centered. Everything about OvationMR's success revolves around the consumer. Product innovation is angled towards making a better offering for customers. Marketing is focused on their tastes, desires, and lifestyles. Even your brand should be designed to attract your target market.

?If you're lost on what to do next, look at the consumer. They are the ones who'll be using your product and benefiting from your ideas. They will show you the way.

Being an entrepreneur can often be more of an art than science. There are a lot of things you will, unfortunately, have to feel your way through rather than think through. As uncomfortable as that may be, it's just part of the experience. All you can do is build your core values, like focusing on helping others and developing emotionally, and use that as a foundation for decision making.

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