If you’re leaving the corporate life to venture into entrepreneurship, you may think the skills you’ve learned during your corporate experience are no longer applicable. Entrepreneurship is a different field entirely and requires a whole new set of skills. While that is true, many of the things you’ve learned through your corporate days apply to your life as an entrepreneur. Keep these four corporate skills in your toolbet to ensure your success as an entrepreneur.
Own your personal brand
In today’s world, your brand is your business. Having a strong personal brand is crucial to your success. Your brand is how your customers and the rest of the world view you, and it needs to represent the best side of yourself. Those in the corporate world often take courses on why having a brand is so important, and their career can depend on how strong their brand is. Take those lessons with you into entrepreneurship, as having a strong brand is even more critical when you’re starting your own business.
Flexible communication style
When working in the corporate world, you have to communicate with many different people on a daily basis. Each of those people has a preferred method and style of communication. The way you speak to your direct supervisor will not be the same way you talk to the company COO. The need for varied communication styles is essential for entrepreneurship as well. You’ll have to speak with web developers who may be fresh out of college and partners who work in a completely different industry.
Networking
In the corporate world, it’s hard to escape networking. Every company happy hour or business conference is built around the act. While it can seem tedious and unnecessary at times, it’s in incredibly valuable skill to have. The connections you make during networking are ones that can make or break your business venture. For an entrepreneur, these connections are even more necessary. It’s likely how you’ll find team members, investors and partners.
Leadership
One of the benefits of working in a corporate setting is the leadership opportunities offered, whether you lead a team or host training sessions. Working around others gives you the chance to flex your leadership muscle. As an entrepreneur, you may not have any employees in the beginning, but you have to lead yourself to accomplish what needs to be done. Once your business starts to grow, you’ll eventually have employees that you need to lead as well.
Corporate Skills to Take into Entrepreneurship
