Do you truly want to be a successful entrepreneur and see success in your business? Darren Lomman shares with Dale Beaumont what he has found to be the essential qualities of a successful entrepreneur. Be inspired by his story to success.
While at university, Darren invested over 4,000 hours in designing and building a hand-controlled motorcycle that could be ridden by a person with paraplegia. Dreamfit was then born and Darren continues to make people”s dreams come true through his passion.
What do you think are the essential qualities or attributes of a successful entrepreneur?
Dreamers and Doers: Entrepreneurs are ultimately dreamers and doers. They are always breaking new ground and developing new ideas. If you have a dream or a vision it becomes so much easier to put in the effort required to get where you want to be. I can picture in my head right now how I want Dreamfit to be in ten years’ time. It may not end up that way, but at least I have something to aim for. It keeps me focused on looking out for opportunities and people who may be able to help me achieve my vision.
Dedication and Commitment: Entrepreneurs are dedicated and committed to bringing their dreams to life, to turning them into reality.
Time and Support: Being able to leverage your time is an important skill to have or learn. My time was becoming a limiting factor in Dreamfit’s growth. I quickly realised that I had to get other people on board to help me achieve my vision. You can accomplish your dreams much faster with a team of ten people behind you rather than trying to do it all on your own.
Inspiration and Belief: Being able to inspire people is a vital quality for achieving success. But to inspire people you need to have total belief in what you are doing – be passionate about it, live it, breathe it, and have lots of energy and enthusiasm. If you can get other people half as excited as you are about your dream, you are halfway there.
Opportunity and Responsibility: It is important to give people the opportunity to share in your vision and become a part of it. We give the engineering students who work on our projects almost total control over the direction of the project. They’ve got real responsibilities and I place my trust in them. Even though mistakes sometimes get made, you need to be open to that and accept that it is part of the learning curve.
Communication and Networking: I consider having good communication and interpersonal skills as essential qualities of a successful entrepreneur. An integral part of running a successful business involves networking with other people and being able to communicate effectively with your clients, financiers and team members.
For more of this interview and essential qualities to becoming a successful entrepreneur check out “Entrepreneurs Under 40 Exposed!“