A career in business is one that needs to be given constant and detailed attention to ensure that it progresses and grows as much as is possible. In order to succeed, you are not going to get very far if you sit back and wait for things to happen to you. It’s important to be proactive and get things in place for your own success.
If you want to go the distance in business,
then you’ll need to be mindful of the following.
1- Have
a plan for your development
Like anything in life, it’s better to have a
plan. You may end up not following it exactly, but if you have an aim you will
be more focused to achieve.
A good career plan will detail short, medium and
long term goals and give you an idea of how to achieve them.
It’s a good idea to get advice from a
professional business advisor or a mentor, since they can give you some extra
input and keep you on the right track.
2- Talk
to your employer, if you are first time part time entrepreneur
If you have not started yet, and you have some ideas to improve your current company it’s good to have a chat with your employer to go over your career goals and advancement opportunities.
If you have already started your first venture and you started it part time, discussing with your employer about about how your personal experience can benefit the company can also be very helpful.
Speaking to your employer like this also shows
your enthusiasm and puts you on their radar as someone who is looking to
progress.
3- Go
back to school
Education is key to career advancement in
almost all industries and so does it work for entrepreneurs. Although your current
qualification may sound good enough for the current project you are working on,
but many of us often forget about it as an option to progress further.
Look at post-graduate opportunities, such as an MBA, as these can propel your growth. Think about what further education could open up for you and what you want to achieve through it. You may also want to take some short term courses or even attend the industry specific workshops to advance your skills.
For many applications, you need to complete a Statement Of Purpose which will show the school what your ambitions and aims are for your career. Even if your application doesn’t go the way you hope, keep a copy of your Statement of Purpose, since it’s a great exercise to keep you focused in general.
4- Be
sure to keep up to date on industry developments
This doesn’t take a lot of time but can
demonstrate your commitment and passion when it comes to your career.
Keeping up to date with what’s happening in
your field will help with expanding your knowledge, as well as moving up the
promotion ladder.
5- Consider
experimenting new ideas
There’s no better learning in business than
setting up and running your own business. Since, you are
already working on one, you may consider testing small modifications in the
processes, marketing and running overall business.
The Bottom Line:
Running your own business and making it a success is not an easy task, despite a strong entrepreneurial drive, but with constant updates in your own skills and in your business will show others that you are at the top of your game.
