5 Underrated Skills Every Business Owner Needs To Master

Being an entrepreneur or a small business owner comes naturally to some. Most startup CEO’s will admit they already had the capacity for risk, ability to manage people, and knack for marketing required to create a valuable business from the ground-up.

Business owner using spreadsheets

Yet, there are some skills that entrepreneurs need but end up ignoring. Here are five essential skills every small business owner must take the time to master:

1. Coding

The world absolutely runs on code now. Business decisions are made based on big data analytics and every marketing strategy is A/B tested to infinity. One-third of online shoppers bargain hunt products from other countries online and employers are increasingly likely to use social media in their recruiting campaigns. Having an online presence isn’t a competitive edge anymore, it’s an absolute necessity. Take the time to learn some basic HTML and CSS so that you can understand what the dev team designing your website are actually doing. Coding is such an important skill that everyone needs to master the basics.

2. Online marketing

In the same vein as coding, online marketing is becoming an increasingly important part of doing business. Whether you own a corner shop or an international consultancy firm, reaching out and discovering clients online is the way to go. So, taking a short course in online marketing or social media management could actually help you boost sales.

3. Safety

Another underappreciated skill is maintaining workplace safety. Even if you work in a small office with a handful of employees, you need to abide by strict health and safety standards. A short safety certification course could help you create a better work environment for everybody.

4. Spreadsheets

Creating and working with spreadsheets is the unglamorous part of running a business no one likes to discuss. Yet, every detail of every client and invoice is likely to be tracked on a spreadsheet somewhere on the system. Mastering spreadsheets is likely to be an invaluable skill for an entrepreneur.

5. Writing

Far from being a dying artform, writing is an increasingly important skill everyone should master. Not only does it help sharpen your communication skills it also makes you think more introspectively about challenges. It doesn’t matter what you write, so long as you commit to practicing it everyday.

Underrated skills like these are becoming increasingly important for business owners in a changing world. Basic coding, writing, safety, and online marketing skills will help you lead your team more effectively and proactively solve problems along the way.

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