10 Soft skills for successful entrepreneurs

Imagine this…

You went through 4+ years of college to get the degree you needed. wanted. were “supposed” to get (according to everyone besides you).

Maybe you even went on for another year or so to get a degree in higher education.

A degree you may or may not even be using anymore.

*ahem, me*

Well, welcome to entrepreneurship! 

Where we follow our dreams and set our own rules, regardless of what any piece of paper tells us we have to be stuck with.

I’m doing this, many MANY other entrepreneurs out in the world are doing this, and you just might be doing this as well. 

And it feels GOOD.

But sometimes, it also feels like all of that hard work, studying, and time spent in class was a waste.

Like all of that time could have been used to get you further with what you’re setting your mind to NOW.

Well, guess what.

It wasn’t a waste.

The time you spent in the (former) career you worked so hard to get into because you thought a 9-5 was the only option…

It set you up for success in what you’re doing now.

It helped prepare you with the skills you needed to get that dream of yours out of your head and make it a reality.

Your skillset goes beyond what the paper says you can do.

Graphic designer
Teacher
Project manager
Software engineer

Because you’re now an ENTREPRENEUR, and you’re fully equipped with the soft skills you need to succeed. 

Soft skills vs. hard skills

Okay, wait. Let’s take a step back.

What exactly IS a soft skill? And is there a hard skill?

A soft skill is a characteristic or quality that determines how you interact with others or get through various situations (from the super easy ones all the way to the makes-you-want-to-quit ones).

They’re what allow you to accomplish your goals in both your professional life and your personal life. And the best part? 

These skills don’t pin you down to any one career or industry. They’re completely transferable and, not only can they be used in all parts of your life, they’re the reason you’ll succeed.

In this case, it’s more about who you are than what you know.

(Because those things you know? Yup, those are the hard skills.)

A hard skill, on the other hand, is your knowledge relating to the job or task you’re a part of. They’re the occupational skills you gained through formal education or training and are typically measurable in some way.

These skills typically aren’t transferable (like, do you really need to know how to code when you pursue your dream as a biz coach for creatives?) and are specific to a career or industry. 

The soft skills entrepreneurs need

Before writing this, I looked into a LOT of articles to see if I could find some common themes.

Good news, I did 🎉

(And yes, I did the work instead of asking ChatGPT. Why? Because I love reading and learning about the things I write about instead of having a robot do it all for me. Have to keep my brain strong 😉)

I created this list based on what I found AND what I’ve experienced in my own life as an entrepreneur…

So by NO means is this an exhaustive list.

I’d be here all night if I listed out every. single. soft. skill. 

Because I want to have a little bit of fun… we’ll start with the 10th and work down to the grand ol’ #1. 

And yes, there was absolutely a top winner among everything I read!

Let the countdown begin!

Ten. Discipline

In the entrepreneur world, there are a LOT of challenges that pop up. Things don’t go according to plan, marketing trends change (and then while you’re revamping your strategy, they freakin’ change again)...

You need the discipline to see your plan out to the finish line even during those most difficult moments.

I’d be lying to you if I said I never doubted what I’m doing or wish I could go hide away from it all on a huge chunk of land with a forest and a garden 😅

But having that discipline to continue going when things really suck allows me to take even the tiiiiiniest of steps during those moments when I really don’t want to. It’s all about consistency and commitment.

Because even the small steps get me closer to my end goal. #HomesteadLife

Nine. Problem-solving

As I stated above, sometimes things just don’t work out according to plan. And instead of curling up in a ball with a pint of ice cream and having a good ol’ cry, being able to take a step back and analyze where things went wrong is a more productive way to react. 

If you’re able to pick apart the pieces of what you’re doing, what’s working, what’s not working, what people need, what people want more of, etc., you’ll be able to create a biz that serves your audience in exactly the right ways.

When things go wrong, that’s great! That becomes a HUGE learning opportunity for you to dig into what happened, tweak things a little, and put it out into the world again…

Bigger, better, and more badass than before.

Eight. Creativity

Ah, creativity. Coming from a former art teacher and hobby artist, this is one of my favorite things! 

(And, uh, check out THIS post on why creativity is important for your biz! Yup, I wrote a whole post about it.)

When you’re an entrepreneur, you’re competing against thousands upon thousands of other people who do the exact same thing you do.

But that’s okay. There’s really enough space in this world for all of us! Because how they approach their biz is going to be different than how you do… 

And there are people that will resonate more with them. And, you guessed it, people that like you better.

Creating your biz, your offers, your emails (everything) through a creative lens allows you to figure out areas of need within your industry… and then develop unique ideas, products, and solutions for your audience.

And that just helps set you apart from the rest! 

Seven. Teamwork/Collaboration

Let’s face it. There’s a million things we need to do in our biz that we’re just not the best at. And for those moments, having a network of other entrepreneurs (with different skill sets) is super helpful!

Working with other entrepreneurs, sharing your areas of expertise, and helping each other in times of need helps you BOTH find success. 

And how sweet is it knowing you could help someone achieve their goals (while also reaching YOURS)!

Entrepreneurship can be a lonely path and if you’re trying to do every single thing yourself, it can be exhausting. 

Put together a group of other like-minded entrepreneurs and together, you can benefit from each other’s strengths and plow through those challenging obstacles.

You can share your unique perspectives and take part in meaningful, productive conversations that allow everyone involved to grow and become better in their own biz as well. 

Six. Active listening

If you start creating your biz based ONLY on your own ideas of what you think your audience wants or needs, you might be unpleasantly surprised when things don’t go so well. 

Being a part of your community, asking questions, and actually listening puts you in a powerful position. You get to learn first-hand from the people you want to serve. Instead of guessing, they will literally TELL you what they want.

It’s then up to you to combine your skills, expertise, and knowledge with the pain points and struggles your audience has to create the absolute most amazing offer none of them will be able to resist. 

Five. Flexibility/Adaptability

At the risk of sounding like a broken record here…

Sometimes things don’t go according to plan, heh.

Social media algorithms, marketing best practice, consumer demands and purchasing trends… it’s always been an evolving, ever-changing beast we’ll never completely tackle.

But being able to adapt to new situations and pivot when needed is going to help you stay relevant and important in your audience’s eyes

When I think of someone who is inflexible and unwilling to change, I always think of a grumpy old person who’s set in their ways. (No offense, but it happens 🤷🏻‍♀️) There are always going to be people who will absolutely not budge.

And as an entrepreneur, if you’re unbudgeable… you’re not going to get very far.

You have to be able to embrace new ideas and opportunities as well as let go of the ones you poured so much time into if they’re just not working.

Four. Negotiation

As your biz grows and you find yourself dipping your toes into new opportunities (brand partnerships, affiliate marketing, guest features, etc.) you’ll likely find yourself in the position where you need to dust off the ol’ negotiation skills.

Or maybe whip them out for the first time.

Being able to negotiate terms, payments, contracts, and so on allows you to put clear boundaries in place so you, and the other person, know exactly what’s expected and what’s to be delivered.

It’s a way to remain in a respectful, mutually-beneficial relationship with each other while you each fulfill your part.

It also allows you to continue building your network, not only with the people or brands you may be working with, but with the people in their audience who may need your skills and expertise as well.

A little bit of negotiation can go a long way, so it’s definitely something to consider working on if you haven’t done so yet (note to self, ahem).

Three. Time management

Have you realized how much you have on your plate yet? 😅

Yea, it’s hard to ignore the things that are piling onto the to-do list faster than you can cross things off. Eek.

Being able to prioritize important, needle-moving tasks over smaller, less crucial ones is going to help save you some time (and perhaps a bit of sanity too).

Organizing your tasks through a project management platform (I use and LOVE Asana) can also be helpful - breaking each and every thing down into the tiniest steps so you know exactly what you need to do next.

This also helps you stay on track with any deadlines you may have and work on getting that work-life balance down (working on it!)

Two. Leadership

Even if you’re working as a team of one, you have the chance to position yourself as a leader within your community. You get to inspire and guide your audience through your stories, insights, and perspectives (which then builds up that know, like, and trust factor with YOU)! 

Becoming a trusted leader in your space also creates opportunities to share your vision and get your word out to more people. How? 

Because your raving fans can’t wait for the chance to share the things you teach and create with people in THEIR life too! Which means you’ll be helping more people than you even realized 😉

Having the mindset of a leader even in the day-to-day, behind the scenes parts of your biz can help you gain confidence and success too.

Setting clear goals, keeping to your commitments (see #10 above!), and taking initiatives to try new things eeeeven when they’re a bit scary, is how you’ll grow.

ONE! Communication

If you can’t clearly communicate what it is you do, why it’s important, and how it helps others… Who's going to be part of your sweet community? 

Building strong communication skills not only helps you when you’re networking and building up a support system with other entrepreneurs…

It helps you target your audience and reach the people who need you the most. 

You could be creating the perfect offer that will 100% solve someone’s problems and struggles, but if you can’t figure out a way to tell them (and show them) that, it simply won’t matter.

You’re creating something valuable, something this world needs. So make sure you know just what to say that will allow people to understand your passions and purpose just as much as you do! 

And a few honorable mentions…

I’m adding these here because I find them to be SO DAMN IMPORTANT in my own biz and life… and I know I’m not the only one! 

Stress management 

When things get tough (and they will), I find myself digging into my little toolbox of things to do to keep my cool and not give up.

While things like setting boundaries, clearly communicating, and managing time will help prevent some of those stressful situations, they still pop up!

Taking a break and walking away has been helpful, as well as finding moments to do some quick stretches and breaking exercises.

It’s amazing what 5 minutes of focused, mindful breathwork can do for your mental wellbeing.

Positive mindset

It can be SO easy to let negative feelings become overwhelming and take over your entire mindset. 

In those moments I’m struggling hard, I like to reach out to some friends. Having that reminder that I’m not alone immediately helps.

Then I like to look at all of the things I’ve accomplished already. You know, all the things my old teacher-self would NEVER have imagined I could, or would, do.

Telling myself little reminders like “I can do hard things” or “this is just a moment of struggle but I’ll get through it. I always do.” are like little mind resets to help me snap out of the negativity too.

And of course, when things just aren’t going well, remember, it’s a chance to analyze what’s going on, learn from it, and make changes in the right direction!

Back to #1… when you’re ready to put yourself out there and write kickass emails to your audience, you’ll want to make sure you include storytelling in your approach

Why? Because people learn through story. It’s how they make meaning of the world, and it’s how they’ll be able to relate with what you have to say (and ultimately, want what you have to offer 😉)

This free guide will get you started on creating those story-driven emails… with steps you can get started on as soon as you download it!

What skills did you gain from past experiences, jobs, or careers that you find are SUPER helpful in your life as an entrepreneur?