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Being an entrepreneur means adapting to the trends and demands of the business environment. You must apply the skills you excel at and learn to constantly exceed your own expectations, and you must also learn how to do new and specialized things (which other professionals can do for you eventually as your business grows). If you are lacking in some skills, act quickly to acquire them. Or at least find ways around this to accelerate the start-up and actual running of the business.

Doing everything yourself in the beginning is a good way for you to understand the daily running of all aspects of your business. When you are ready to delegate some of these activities, you will have control over and insight into them. The following list contains six different roles of an entrepreneur that you will take on when your start your business:

• Student/Learner

• Architect/Designer

• Administrator/Implementer

• Politician/Negotiator

• Coach/Mentor

• Wizard/Miracle Worker

Let’s break down what each of these entrepreneurial roles represents:

As a student you will need to —

• listen to your customers (i.e., your students and their parents) and pay attention to your staff’s needs and suggestions about how to continually improve the business,

• deal with different personalities and behaviors,

• improve your decision-making strategies,

• conduct market research to improve services, and

• conduct self-evaluations and continue personal development.

As an architect you will need to —

• be a visionary,

• be strategic, precise, and a creative business planner,

• set short- and long-term goals,

• create and implement innovative programs, and

• be a web designer.

As an administrator you will need to —

• organize your business processes (e.g., accounting and bookkeeping),

• organize and stock inventory (such as art supplies), and

• manage time and make things happen.

As a politician you will need to —

• be a hybrid of a diplomat and salesperson,

• make good first impressions,

• keep clients returning,

• attract new clients,

• understand and deliver what clients really need,

• network and communicate with clients, potential clients, staff, and other professionals that you will come in contact with,

• be an effective negotiator who can close a deal,

• strive to keep everyone happy, and

• resolve conflicts.

As a coach you will need to —

• be a cheerleader and mentor by bringing out the best in all your contacts (i.e., clients, parents, staff, suppliers, and partners),

• be an active listener,

• be a human resources expert, training and motivating staff,

• uphold strict moral codes as well as personal and professional integrity, and

• express your visions for the business to staff and partners.

As a wizard you will need to —

• be a miracle worker and multitasker who juggles all of the above roles (i.e., student, architect, administrator, politician, and coach), and

• be a resourceful and creative problem solver with a winning attitude.

These entrepreneurial roles are interconnected and, therefore, overlaps may occur. The wizard coordinates and juggles the many traits of the entrepreneur. If one hat best fits your personality or mood most of the time, and you neglect the other aspects of your business, the resulting imbalance can pose a risk of failure. The following example will help you understand the importance of being able to use a combination of the characteristics mentioned above.

Let’s say you plan a big craft fair to raise money for charity. Planning this event requires all of your architect skills. A craft fair provides an opportunity for your students to showcase their art projects and for their parents to feel pride in their accomplishments. Your students may bring their siblings, friends, and other prospective students to your school, and linking the craft fair to a charity involves the community as a whole. Journalists are always hungry to cover stories that showcase the community’s successes, and if money is raised for a charity, the event will be greatly appreciated.

For this charity event you also use your politician skills to attract people to your event. You have your creative juices flowing. But then what happens? You fail to organize the art supplies, which means that you have failed as an administrator. You have let everyone down, and have also hurt your school’s reputation. You will have your work cut out for you to reestablish your credibility. This could be very costly, because prospective clients judge your school on first impressions. A perfect opportunity to boost business awareness has just been wasted. The adage bears repeating: “If you fail to prepare, prepare to fail.”

It is important for each of us to know our own limitations and strengths and how to use them most effectively. We tend to concentrate on doing things that we are good at and enjoy, neglecting or avoiding the things that we do not particularly like to do until we are eventually forced to address the massive backlog.

Take a good long look at your skills and realize that in order for your school to earn a great reputation, you and your staff have to impart the right messages, whether they are literal or subconscious. The right attitude is imperative. Become aware of and address those weaknesses that may stand in the way of your success.

What differentiates great companies from good ones? The attitudes and commitment of their staff. If you are not a natural team leader or you find it hard to motivate and manage people, bone up on these skills before starting your business, instead of just jumping in and hoping for the best. With a strong will, incentive, and confidence at the outset, you can achieve success sooner rather than later.