subject: Without These 3 Roles Fulfilled In Your Small Business, Failure May Be Immanent [print this page] Without These 3 Roles Fulfilled In Your Small Business, Failure May Be Immanent
There are three very important roles that the small business owner must fulfill to have a successful business: the entrepreneur, the manager and the technician. One way or another, a successful business requires all three of these roles. The reality for today's solo-preneurs is that all three might be fulfilled by one person (that's you!) and your success will be greatly determined by how well you balance the three areas.
The Role of Entrepreneur
This is the vision and ideas person. Without the entrepreneur, the manager and technician would have nothing to do. The entrepreneur must be innovative, creative and constantly looking out for opportunities all of the time. Being the idea person greatly relies on having strengths of judgment and creativity, critical thinking and having an open mind. The entrepreneur has their eyes on the future all the time while understanding the present.
The Role of Manager
Managers are the organizers. Managers define targets, solve problems and organize resources. The manager must posses good administrative, organizational, marketing and communications skills. In many ways the manager is the "face" of the business and is most likely to be the role that comes into contact with customers and clients most often. As a solo-preneur, you must understand that all three roles might need to be filled by one person. In this case, you must have wisdom to know when to wear the right hat for each situation that arises.
The Role of Technician
The technician actually gets the work done. The entrepreneur thinks up the idea; the manager puts the system in place and imposes deadlines; the technician builds the product or completes the service. Having no entrepreneur there would be no ideas and innovation. Missing the manager, the technician would just do what he or she wanted whether or not it achieved any long-term goals or met objectives. Not having the technician in the operation, nothing would actually be built or get done.
It is so important to be aware of these three vital roles in your small business as you look at the context of your operation. Fully understanding each of these roles will aid you in being more effective, reducing stress and frustration, and building a business with a strong foundation to sustain growth and weather setbacks. And remember, if you're one of the millions of solo-preneurs having to wear all 3 hats, its critical that you focus on executing the skills required for each individual role and balance the responsibilities appropriately.
