The most ambitious and passionate entrepreneurs know that they need to invest in themselves as much as they need to invest in their startup venture. As the masterminds behind the ideas and the driving power of the company, they know that constant improvement of their skills is the ultimate ticket to success. There are many things, which an entrepreneur needs to learn, and here we’ve collected the top five teachable skills that are important, yet very accessible.

Channel the persuasive networker

Let’s say that you are confident enough about the potential of your idea and you feel ready to start your own company. Now you are in need of support – emotional and financial. In order to convince people to believe in your venture as much as you do, you should be prepared to communicate your ideas and strategies in the most persuasive way. Building strong support system is one of the most important pillars of successful startup. Try to channel your inner networker and go out there and make the most of every event that you attend.

Awaken the salesperson inside you!

Of course, you believe in your product/ service and the need of it in the market, but if the numbers are not showing the same, you are probably doing something wrong. If you want to be successful, to build and grow your business, you should be always selling – your idea, your product, yourself as an entrepreneur. With the right approach and enough confidence, you are to achieve great results!

Get the financial terms in line

Every entrepreneur must know and understand well the most important financial aspects of their venture. Entrepreneurs don’t necessarily enjoy to deal with financial terms, but as they are the ones running the company and are the ones pitching investors, they should know how to respond with the right answers when asked about ROI, IRR, cost of capital, margins, bottom line and so on.

Be the marketing rock star

Most entrepreneurs don’t have previous marketing experience, which can be challenging at the beginning. But there are many courses and resources, which can help even the busy entrepreneurs become marketing rock stars – at least until they are able to hire a marketing expert to join their team.

Strategy and research matter!

A startup without a strong and clear strategy is very likely to fail fast. Having clear goals and knowing how to act towards achieving them is the key to success. Entrepreneurs must learn how to formulate the right strategy, how to implement it in order to get to the desired destination. Always have a plan and follow strictly every single step of it!