THE 10 ULTIMATE SKILLS THAT  ENTREPRENEUR SHOULD CULTIVATE

To be effective as entrepreneurs in our enterprises we have to cultivate and nurture these skills to the best of our ability. 

"A winner is someone who recognizes his God given talents, works his tail off to develop them into skills and uses these skills to accomplish his goals" Larry Bird

1. Salesmanship - Most people don't admire sales people, but when you observe carefully we are all involved in some kind of selling - selling ideas, products or services. We might not be working for an entity selling something, but in life we are always selling something whether we realize it or not. My question is why don't you learn how to master salesmanship better. It will serve you well. And remember the highest job in the land is really a salesmanship job. In salesmanship you can make in numbers what you lack in skills -
a) talk to a lot of people
b) be real nice - have a great attitude
c) give good service

2. Negotiation - "Everything is negotiable, whether or not the negotiation is easy is another thing" Carrie Fisher. We are all negotiation in one way or the other and we have to learn how to negotiate. Here are a couple of principles to know a) The invested time principle - people will be willing to negotiate if they have invested enough time in the deal b) Power of information - try to find out more about the opposing party as much as possible.

3. Communication - learning to communicate effectively - there is a certain magical quality to good communication - you have to expand your knowledge base - coming out of college should not end your education - build a library of books that you review, books you read for intellectual stimulation, seminars and discussions - do set time aside to think - 

4. Speech delivery  -Speech delivery is a skill we have to cultivate. In one way or the other we will be called to make a speech or make a presentation. I believe that our Lord Jesus Christ was one of the best orators in the world - He always spoke sincerely and from the heart - He also love to tell stories - people can relate to stories. If you can evoke people's emotions you can get people to commit - most decisions are made emotionally and then are justified logically - your own life story is very interesting to people.

5. Networking - I believe that we are one person away from achieving our missions - sometimes what we need is a God-ordained moment to meet that special person - it could be your future partner, your spouse, a friend etc.,

6.  Financial Management  - you might as well know how to manage your finances  - intuitively people know more about financial management than they care to give themselves credit. If you have taken advantage of a product or a service promotion you are not financially illiterate. Don't let the financial jargon fool you- I have a simple formula to help you - the 10-10-10 - 70 rule of personal financial management - give 10% of your income to church or charity - 10 percent to saving 10 to active investment and live on 70%.

7. Nutrition and wellness -an area that we ignore in pursuit of our goals - we have to pay much attention to our overall well being than anything else. Add physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being to the equation.

8. Decision Making - is a learned behavior - you have to get into the habit of making decisions. It boils down to listening, inquiry, weighing facts and knowing when to rely on your guts or instincts.

9.  Learn To Manage Activity - It is advisable to manage activities instead of time. Apply the 80/20 Rule -The Pareto principle (also known as the 80–20 rule) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. It is a cardinal priciple in business; e.g., "80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. This theory should serve as a daily reminder to focus 80 percent of your time and energy on the 20 percent of your work that is really important. Don't just "work smart", work smart on the right thin

10. Evaluate Opportunities - It is advisable to use reliable evaluation models to test your hypothesis. Is there a demand for my product? Is there a market? These are all skills that needs to be tested and cultivated.