If you want to become a business owner but don’t have a business idea, choosing one can be difficult. We can all agree that you don’t want to do something you don’t enjoy or aren’t good at. That’s why the first step you should take is identifying your strengths and weaknesses.
It will help you focus on things you do best, so you can come up with a business idea that allows you to follow your passion and share your knowledge with others.
But how do you identify your strengths and weaknesses?
Think about the things you enjoy doing
What do you do after work or on the weekends? Do you have any hobbies or interests? Many people turn their hobbies into successful businesses.
Or maybe you absolutely love what you do in your current job and the only reason you want to go down the entrepreneurial path is that you want more freedom and more opportunities to grow and develop yourself?
If you love doing something, you must be good at it!
Ask others what they think your strengths and weaknesses are
Analysing yourself can be harder than it sounds. If you’re your biggest critic, you might think that you’re really bad at doing something when you’re actually pretty good at it!
This is why it’s important to ask others for their opinion. Ask your family, close friends or work colleagues what they think your strengths and weaknesses are. These people can see you from different perspectives which means they notice things that you don’t.
Not everyone takes criticism in the same way. When someone close to you tells you your weaknesses, it can hurt your feelings. But remember, they’re trying to help you and make sure you start a successful business!
Think about the subjects you did at school/university
Whether you’re a fresh graduate or finished all your studies over twenty years ago, thinking about the subject you’ve taken and the results you’ve achieved can help you identify the strengths and weaknesses of yours.
Did you enjoy history? Did you pass maths just because you worked very hard and took some extra lessons? Do you have a university degree that you never used in practice as you started a different career?
Think of your favourite subjects and skills you’ve gained from them – these are your strengths. The ones you hated, failed or barely passed – your weaknesses.
If you realise that some of the weaknesses are important skills to run a business – don’t worry. You can always learn and improve. Or you can hire someone else to do things that require those skills!
Take a personality test to identify your strengths and weaknesses
As mentioned earlier, analysing yourself can be difficult. While you might already know some of your strengths and weaknesses, your opinion about yourself is mainly biased.
Taking a personality test can help you dig deeper to understand yourself and learn things you’ve never realised before. It can reveal your dominant personality traits and natural preferences as well as how you react in different situations and what decisions you tend to make. Understanding those things can also give you self-assurance and boost your confidence.
With many different tests available, make sure you choose a trustworthy one. Taking some online quizzes can be fun and can reveal a few bits of truth. However, they’re unlikely to give you in-depth information. Official tests created by professionals are the ones to look out for.
Try new things
What are the chances that you’re going to be perfect when doing something for the first time?
Trying a new activity, such as playing team sports, baking or making crafts might have nothing to do with running your business (unless you decide that this is exactly what you want to do). However, taking part in those activities requires many different skills such as motivation, focus, precision, communication skills and others.
To identify your strengths and weaknesses, after trying something new, ask yourself these questions:
