Why Business Ownership Skills Start Young

As a kid, did you ever host a sale of any kind? Lemonade? A car wash? Maybe you made trinkets to market at the family garage sale. Perhaps you took care of the neighbor’s cat for a modest pay, or offered to water plants or mow their lawn while they were away. Then again, you could have performed chores to gain an allowance. All of these, and more, serve as stepping stones to owning a business.

Sure, at the time you were simply looking to earn a few bucks; maybe you just wanted to keep yourself busy. But the outcome remained the same: you did a skill or sold a product, earned some pay for your efforts, and you learned about bartering while you were at it. You learned money doesn’t come easily, and that doing a better job earns more pay. And that’s only the beginning – countless lessons could have been taken away from these very important life experiences.

You then built upon these skills and learned even more about the workforce as you grew. Eventually, you got a first job. Here you paid taxes and had the responsibility of taking care of customers, locking up shop, and more.

While these aspects might seem extremely basic, they’re also the fundamentals of business ownership. Without first learning what makes a location tick, you can’t make one run. Thinking back to these skills as you learned them can also help you understand the growing process of future employees.

Think back so some of your early jobs or volunteer experiences (school clubs or extracurriculars count, too). What positions did you hold? What were your responsibilities and how did you achieve them? What were you learning? Was there anything you might have been particularly “bad” at? And if so, what did you do to make it better?

During that time, you also learned what you liked (and what you didn’t). All while honing your customer service voice, salesmanship, and work ethic, you were taking into account the side of business you didn’t like. Of course, you still did it, because that, too, is part of being a professional. But you were forming an opinion all the same.

Meanwhile, working for a specialized type of business also taught you valuable skills. For instance, how to cook, how to repair a tire, or how to fix a broken computer screen. Whether or not you chose to pursue this industry, it’s another asset you can list on your resume. Use it to your advantage as you’re setting up your own business, even if only letting it show you just how diverse of a professional background you actually have.

Putting it All Together
There is plenty that comes into account when starting your own business. However, don’t become overwhelmed or caught up on all the things you “don’t” possess. Because, chances are, you’re more qualified than you even realize.

Look back to your early working days, and all that you have learned along the way. Becoming a professional is a long-term experience, and you’ve been collecting skills for longer than you’ve even realized. It’s what’s provided you with the willingness and the drive to become a business owner, along with the skills that will provide you with success.

Keep these important assets in mind during every step of your franchising journey, knowing that you’re more than qualified to own and operate a business, and that you more than have what it takes to help bring your location up to the next level. Or even beyond!

To learn more about franchising and your individual skills, contact us today!