If you are starting your online business to manage from your home, there might be times when you wonder, "How will my skills transfer to running my own business?" You might be surprised how valuable your corporate skills will be. Management training and exceptional interpersonal skills are very important for running your own successful online business (just as they are for working your way up the corporate ladder).
Be Prepared to Wear Many Hats
Most online business owners have to wear many hats to run their business. If you are starting up a small business, you might be doing your own accounting, product research, product development, marketing, sales and customer service. You will find that you will need to learn about many new business areas, as well as to tap into all of your previous corporate skills and experience (to be successful).
Superior Interpersonal Skills Can Determine Your Success
Superior interpersonal skills will go beyond helping you with your networking, sales and customer service. Because you will need to depend on an unlimited number of external resources to run your business, your interpersonal skills can determine the success or failure of your online business. Even though you will be working from your home, you will need to act just as professionally as you would from your office or cubicle.
Schedule Your Day to Stay On Task
Some people find it challenging to stay motivated and stay on task when they are working alone from their home offices. You might find it helpful to schedule your day just as rigidly as your previous corporate schedule, to keep yourself motivated and your projects on track.
Management Training is Essential
If you have not had any formal corporate management training, it is recommended that you participate in management training classes or courses before you start your own online business. Management training courses will help you to manage projects as well as people. Even if you don't have your own staff of people reporting to you, you will find yourself managing vendors, freelancers, cross-functional teams or contract workers who you will need to depend on for the success of your business.
Manage Projects with Mid-point Milestones
Having excellent project management skills will help you build a successful company. From managing your website to your product development and customer service, the requirements for project management skills are unlimited. If you have not already been trained to develop timelines, budgets, business plans, marketing plans and project plans, there are many courses available to help you strengthen your skills in these areas. You will also need to know how to set goals with mid-point milestones, to keep your projects on track. A quality project management course will help you learn effective ways to manage your projects and your business.
Having the same level of project management skills as corporate executives will help you to launch a successful business (that will grow and prosper).
