Five life skills that you can transfer to your business

Building a company is a serious undertaking for any first-time entrepreneur – but what if you already have the skills to help your business flourish? From juggling priorities to delivering projects on time, the responsibilities awaiting first-time business owners are numerous – but with some strategic thinking, you can apply competencies from your day-to-day life to give your business the best start possible and ensure that it continues to thrive. Here, the organisational experts from Action Storage are breaking down some simple and effective ways that you can harness your everyday skills to help your startup grow.

Relationship building

Both in and out of the office, relationships with employees and clients will play a crucial role in driving your business. From creating and nurturing a powerful brand ethos within your company to encouraging a culture of openness and transparency with clients, these relationships will become vital to the success of your business. Whether it’s the way you handle discord between your children or how you maintain relationships with friends, the connections you hold in high regard in your personal life can help you when it comes to building a business you can be proud of. Think about how you find time to strengthen relationships in different areas of your life and apply these same practices to your business.

Personality projection

When it comes to getting a business off the ground, personality is a fundamental part of building relationships. Both your clients and staff will want to work with people they respect and can trust – and as the most influential figure in your business, your vision for the way your company operates will largely influence how relationships operate. Whether it’s a professional networking event or a friend’s birthday party, the same basic principles apply: everyone attending is there for a similar purpose, so take advantage of this fact. Use your people skills to get ahead by ensuring your clients and staff are clear on what you can offer them and how your business operates. Working for, or buying into, a company they believe in is sure to affect their loyalty in the long term.

Time management

Where many businesses fail is in their struggle to reconcile the time they have with what they need to deliver. From staff availability and holiday management to client meetings and project deadlines, time is the name of the game when it comes to achieving goals and impressing clients. From school drop-offs to healthcare appointments, day-to-day life is packed with arrangements that have to be worked into your schedule – and the skills needed to balance a busy life can be directly transferred to the way you run your business. Time management tools like Toggl can be a real lifeline for business owners who are just starting out. Allowing you to track the amount of time you’re spending on different tasks will make managing your team and workload that much easier – meaning you can understand how much resource you have in advance and plan in work accordingly.

Organisational attributes

When it comes to coordinating a team of people, organisation is everything. While being tasked with managing a group of employees may seem overwhelming at first, it’s highly likely you’ll already have some of the skills needed to take charge. Whether it’s planning individual workloads in the early days of your business or preparing for a guest speaking spot at a national networking event, a failure to stay organised can prove catastrophic. In your personal life, everything from planning for your annual MOT to paying the gardener has to be accounted for – and in order to continue impressing clients and avoid breaking the bank on unnecessary expenses, you should try applying these organisational skills in your professional life.

Learning to lead

Along with the range of responsibilities that come with starting a business, there’s also the challenge of hiring the right team to help you get your business off the ground (and continue to drive it forward). It’s likely that months, if not years, of planning have gone into the launch of your company, and finding a team that shares your vision will be integral to its success. Just as you’d pour time and effort into finding the most suitable childcare for your children or the best garage to repair your car, so too should you set aside time to find the best employees for your business. Be open with them about your plans for the company and how you see them fitting in – as well as being open to any questions they might have about your business. From staff management to company culture, you may already have the dynamic skill set you’ll need to help your startup thrive.