I think it’s fair to say that not everyone is cut out to be a successful Business Owner, now some of you maybe disputing this statement but hear me out.

I’m not saying that if you put a person in perfect Business environment that they won’t succeed but how often does perfect Business environment appear?

Based on my own study and observations, as well as, common themes that come through articles on my Minds Alike Blog Site (www.mindsalike.blogspot.com) I have put together a selection of various “things” that a person must possess to be a successful Business Owner:

·To be a successful Business Owner you must Believe that you’ll succeed and have a Positive Attitude because there will be times when self doubt strikes, but if you believe that success will happen then doubts will be overshadow by your positive attitude.

·To be a successful Business Owner you must be prepared to Risk everything, this is where many people give up because they are not prepared to take risk that could end up with them losing everything.

Getting new customers is costly and requires a repeated effort. Once you have a customer it is easier to retain them as long as they are receiving value and benefit from their relationship with you.

I recall a woman I dealt with years ago while I was serving as an executive member for our police association.

The legal name of association was changing and we needed new letterhead, business cards, etc.

I knew this woman was trained as a graphic artist and was starting her own business.

Always wanting to support new entrepreneurs, I asked her if she would be interested in preparing several samples of draft letterhead and business cards for our review.

She was excited about opportunity and informed me she didn't have any set prices, but would create some designs and provide a proposal if we decided to accept her work.

She provided three samples to choose from. The designs she created could be used interchangeably on letterhead, envelopes and business cards.

Her work was good. Our Executive Team reviewed samples and selected a favorite.

I contacted woman several days later and informed her we liked her designs and were interested in purchasing one. I then asked her to submit a written proposal for our consideration.

When I received her faxed quotation I almost fell off my chair. She wanted $750! She provided a breakdown indicating $200/hour for three hours work, and $150 for design.

When I presented quotation at next executive meeting, team members' jaws dropped and graphic artist's proposal was unanimously denied.