Being the Best You Can Be for Entrepreneurs

Updated: October 16, 2024

Original Published Date: June 7, 2018

Live Twitter #StartupChats discussing being the best you can be for entrepreneurs

Q&A with Startup Canada Guest Advisor Christine Whone

What are the most important things an entrepreneur needs to know when they set out to run a business and be the best version of themselves? This article talks about ideas on how to live the best entrepreneurship lifestyle, such as keeping up with learning new skills, and tips to ensure skill-building is a priority for business owners to be better at what they do.

This event had 7 expert advisors, 53 contributors, 23.2 million impressions and the wakelet can be found here. The chat trended nationally across Canada.

Q1: Let’s begin! Why is it important that entrepreneurs are always learning? How do you incorporate skill-building into your life?

A1: Being an inquisitive learner is key. Entrepreneurship is a lifestyle for me. I am always searching for knowledge or skills through experience to be the best version of myself through my business experiences.

A2: What are the important characteristics of a great entrepreneur?

Q2: Passionate with strong business acumen, who is an effective communicator, and inquisitive learner yet is confident and assertive when asking tough or visionary questions. They are customer-focused and listen to feedback with a positive and innovative attitude. They are resilient yet flexible, fearless, adaptable, and transparent.

Q3: How can entrepreneurs get feedback on their own leadership skills, and identify their weak points?

A3: Ask questions! Ask others about your leadership skills. Importantly ask yourself, ‘What happened at that moment, exchange, conversation, etc?’ Dive deep to understand the true nature of the situation and be honest with yourself. Then write down your discoveries to reinforce what you’ve learned.

Q4: What are habits that can set entrepreneurs on a growth path from day one?

A4: Create a weekly to-do list and execute it day by day. Add 3-5 small items to a daily list to execute them. You can make the list with a handwritten calendar, Basecamp or Todoist. Whatever works best for you.
 

Q5: Who are some of your entrepreneurial role models? And what can we learn from them?

A5: I admire something about every entrepreneur (within reason of course).
 

Q6: How do you embrace your failures, and make them valuable learning opportunities?

Q6: I believe with good intentions there is no failure and only feedback. Allow yourself to listen and time to process feedback. Take time to think about feedback to innovate and make changes for the best product or service. Consider the opportunity you have to be flexible and resilient, then adapt and be fearless while you work.

Sometimes the discord teaches more about what is needed to solve the challenge. If you don’t have all the answers, sometimes trusting the process helps since you need to allow for more information to be received to complete the task for the best solution. This is why taking time to consider feedback is so important.
 

Q7: How can your team support you to become a better entrepreneur? How can entrepreneurs help their team to grow as well?

A7: Discover individual team member superpowers, allowing each team member to focus on their strengths. If it’s a weakness for you or them, find someone to work with who has it as a strength.

Q8: What has been the biggest entrepreneurship lesson you wish you had known earlier?

A8: Getting the work done on time is important, but so is getting paid on time.

Q9: Where can entrepreneurs meet mentors and seek their advice?

Q9 Check out Ten Thousand Coffees for peer mentorship based on role, career development goals, and conversation for colleagues with professional interests.

Q10: How important is it to lead by example, and have core values set up to drive your startups?

A10: If you lead by example, then you are demonstrating to all involved it is possible to live life according to core values in startup and business and that has merit.
 

Q11: What are your final tips for entrepreneurs looking to continually develop themselves to become better at what they do?

Q11: The best resource is the library or bookstore. Look for books of successful business people and entrepreneurs. Check out CreativeLive, Udacity and Skillshare for affordable online courses.