Leadership skills are too often portrayed as something only those at the top of the corporate ladder need to have. Don’t underestimate the importance of leadership skills for home business owners. Let’s discuss why it is important for home business owners to cultivate their leadership skills and how these skills translate into all aspects of their lives.
Owner, Manager, Project Coordinator
Many home businesses start with one person working at home. These individuals forget that they will eventually need to work with others to expand in some capacity. Or, they work from home but outsource a variety of tasks to contractors like product design, product fulfillment, marketing or research. In this regard, a home business owner who never hires a full-time employee still relies on leadership skills to get things done. Another option is cultivating and then leveraging connections to create win-win situations that don’t require major expansion on your part, like joint marketing agreements and selling your product as part of a gift basket others assemble and distribute.
Your Own Advocate in Any Situation
It cannot be understated how much we rely on leadership skills in a variety of situations outside of work. For example, you may need to be your own advocate, taking charge in a community meeting when they are discussing onerous regulations others want to levy on home businesses. You may need to take charge when meeting with clients, lenders or creditors to make your case and win new business.
You may need to argue your case in front of a zoning commission or homeowner’s association to be allowed to run a small assembly business out of a garage or add a home office to your home. You can learn these skills now by enrolling in an executive leadership masters program from an institution like Norwich University. And if you don’t use these skills as a small business owner, you can use them when leading the PTA, HOA or any other organization. Or, you can use your leadership credentials to become a mentor to future business owners like the students in Junior Achievement.
In Preparation for the Day, You Move Out of Your Home Office
Some people set up a home office at the start of a business they hope to eventually grow to the point they can move into a commercial building. It would pay to get a masters in executive leadership now so that you’re ready to grow your business. Then you have the skills to expand your client base and team to the point you move out of your home office. Instead of struggling, like many do when they shift from business owner to manager of multiple employees, you already know how to cultivate middle managers and delegate work.
Conclusion
Even as a business owner without any full-time employees, you will likely need leadership skills to put together business deals, outsource work to an entire team or coordinate major projects. You’ll want to develop your leadership skills so that you can expand your business to the point it is no longer a home business. Or, you’ll use your leadership skills to advocate on your own behalf and that of organizations and causes you want to support.