Entrepreneurs have a lot to manage, and how they manage can mean the difference between success and failure.
Time. Products. Cash. Employees. When it comes down to it, successful entrepreneurship is all about management, and if you can't coordinate resources or people effectively, you aren't going to have a high chance for success.
In my time as a serial entrepreneur, I've met dozens of entrepreneurs, of varying degrees of management ability. The ones who were able to grow and improve their capacity for management tended to see their companies take off and self-sustain. The ones who found themselves unable to manage things effectively were left with stagnated growth, and at times, total failure.
So what is it that makes someone "good" at managing?
I've learned three secrets throughout my career:
1.There is no formula. First, there's no style or approach of management that works for all people in all situations. In fact, you'll probably need several different approaches for different employees, partners, or occasions. The sooner you realize there isn't any set formula for management success, the sooner you can start adapting your approach.
2.If it doesn't work, change it. Too many managers get stuck in their ways, refusing to budge. The hard truth is, most management approaches will eventually fail, and it's on you to adapt them to something new. If you find that something isn't working, you have to change it--otherwise, you're setting yourself up for failure.
3.You don't know what you don't know. It's almost impossible to tell when one of your management strategies isn't paying off; you're too close to the problem. The best way to learn and improve is to ask those around you for feedback.
These secrets should be able to help you find your own path to management success. You can't control everything in a startup, but you have to coordinate and control the resources you can to achieve the highest degree of effectiveness.
Bio:
Jose Vasquez is a serial entrepreneur and tech enthusiast dedicated to helping startup technology companies get the direction and momentum they need to succeed. As the founder of Build. Brand. Blast., Jose has established a collective resource for tech entrepreneurs to consult when brainstorming, creating, launching, or expanding a new business. Jose is also the founder and CEO of Quez Media Marketing, a marketing firm that combines technology and creativity to help new and growing companies get the results they need.