Counsel for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
By Tulika P. Sinha
Entrepreneurship is not a job, it’s a passion. Thus one cannot assume to be an entrepreneur, once needs to build themselves as an entrepreneur.
Just as everything begins with oneself, the journey of an entrepreneur starts from one’s within. You need to mold yourself as the one capable to question the present working of the world and establish your own idea. The road to being a successful entrepreneur is a game of snake and ladder; where the dice are your thoughts. One needs to identify the ladders (opportunities) and snakes (threats) and throw the dice (decisions) accordingly.
In pursuit of its mission, the OpenIGO network has developed a comprehensive eBook, as well as support and guidance services, with the aim of highly increasing your chances of success in these competitive selection processes. These services include revising your UN Jobs application documents (Curriculum vitae/Resume, Cover Letter) and a mock interview, as per the original UN Jobs model.
We have already helped dozens of candidates become UN Professionals and we can also assist you in passing this competitive selection process!
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UN System Jobs: Products & Services
7 must-know practices for aspiring entrepreneurs
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- Observe
Observing the working principle behind every system that comes in your view will sharpen your analytical skills and imbibe management skills. Start questioning their flaws and try to come up with their solutions.
- Engage and hangout with people owning businesses (big and small)
Business people hold the most competitive mindset and have an optimistic outlook. They know to identify opportunities even amidst their problems. The company of such people will enable you to build that approach as well.
- Analyse
Read business models, analyse their strengths and weakness, and think a way out for their problems. This will strengthen your own business idea. Also if you have made any business ventures in the past, (whether they succeed or failed) envision what it would have been if you did things differently.
- Identify your mentors.
Acquire inspiration from successful business personalities, but follow and observe the entrepreneurs nearest to you. Great icons will show you the paths; the way to walk on those paths you will learn from the ones whose successes and failures you have seen. They alone can give you practical motivation.
- Read and discuss
Make reading your prime habit. Touch all possible genres. Read about entrepreneurship, leadership skills, planning and marketing strategies, human relations, trade history, etc. Discuss your knowledge with wise people.
- Enhance your communication skills
Associate with people of all fields. Polish your social skills. Take up every opportunity that you get to voice yourself. Build up your confidence. 70% of the marketing job relies on your communication skills.
- Be friends with technology
Make technology a powerful tool to boost your business. Adapt to its latest forms and use it to propagate your business.
Things to consider before devising a business plan
- Firstly answer the question, “Why you want to start a business?” You cannot presume being an entrepreneur just because there’s job scarcity or being an entrepreneur will make you rich. You must know what you are passionate about and what exactly you want to create and provide to the world.
- Short out your skills and passions. Focus on only that sector of business that complements your passion and relies on your skills. An entrepreneur must know his/her goal; pursuing every sector will take you nowhere.
- Understand what you want to achieve by your service. Categorize and identify your target audience.
- Scrutinize and find the crucial needs of your target audience and think about its effective provision.
- Recognize the demands of the market and plan accordingly. People will pay you only if your goods satisfy their needs and not if it just promotes their welfare.
- When forming associates and partners, choose wisely. Your partner must have business ideologies similar to yours. Vast disparity in thoughts among associates will drift the business apart.
- Research government schemes and policies encouraging entrepreneurship and make use of the befitting ones.
Once you get an idea about what you want to establish, think of that alone. Don’t fascinate yourself with any other plans. Browse for other business models parallel to yours and study them. Evaluate how each model is uniquely different from the other. Comprehend their marketing and competition strategies. This will serve as a guideline for your own plan. But remember; don’t forget the cause for which you are starting the business. Don’t lose sight of your purpose after reviewing that of others. Your purpose alone is the pillar of your plan; if you forget it, everything is bound to collapse.
Read and learn entrepreneurship to a great extent (in fact it’s a continuous process). However, until and unless you don’t get on the ground, your work has not started; it’s still a dream. Entrepreneurship is all about what you do for the world, mere thoughts stock up in your brain won’t pay a penny. The destiny of your business depends 20% on your learning and understanding of strategies and 80% on the practical implementation of your knowledge.
Don’t rush. An unnecessary hurry is the cause of all worry! Have your pace and ensure things are working. If not, then look for an alternative. If yes, bravo! Carry on!
With that in mind, check out our eBook, “Landing your dream job at the United Nations”, which will help you develop all competencies necessary to land your dream job at the United Nations System. It will introduce you to the complex world of the United Nations and it will guide you through all the stages of the selection process. Access:
eBook – Landing your dream job at the United Nations
