Elements to find success as an entrepreneur in the digital age

The digital era jungle

We live in an era in which becoming entrepreneurs has never been easier but, at the same time, difficult. Countless entrepreneurs have found success through innovative platforms, such as YouTube or Shopify, just to mention few of them. Choosing the most suitable platform and publishing content is easier than ever, yet fewer new businesses are created today.

Does it seem a contradiction? According to a research from the New York Times, in the 1980s, nearly 15% of all businesses were new startups. Today, this number has dropped to almost half: 8%.

Why? Because competition is fierce.

Large companies and technology giants are constantly innovating and making great strides. However, with innovation comes the opportunity. The world changes every day and as technology continues to progress, new markets are created. An example? Blockchain and artificial intelligence. Countless startups are born based on these technologies. And so here is the key to be used to become a successful entrepreneur in the digital age.

What you need to become a digital entrepreneur

In the beginning, you will only need a computer with Internet access to get started. But in addition to the equipment, some features are essential to distinguish you from the competition, like:

Curiosity

By curiosity I mean the natural ability to ask questions and to want to know more about a certain topic, essentially questioning things. Have you ever noticed that when children start talking, they ask questions about everything? They simply want to understand the world around them and often you, as adult, on automatic pilot forget to ask yourself why you are performing certain tasks or why certain things work in a certain way. Therefore, to undertake a new business throughout Internet, one of the characteristics that you will have to cultivate more is curiosity, because it is only by researching the market and consumer behaviour that you will find opportunities to operate and offer a solution that truly brings added value.

Willingness to study and specialize

It is very common to study for a limited time and to think you already know everything about a certain topic, ignoring that knowledge and tools are constantly changing, especially in the digital age. In other words, you can be very curious, but without the will to study, diving deep into a topic, to master it, digital entrepreneurship is not the right path for you. This clearly does not mean that you have to spend hours and hours every day studying. A balance must be found between learning and using this knowledge to bring about change.

Wanting to help people

Entrepreneurship is associated with identifying problems and opportunities to implement an idea that causes positive impacts with respect to innovation and the creation of something never seen before. Think of applications like Uber, for example. There is nothing innovative about a taxi service, right? But their service is not only that of the classic taxi, but it is about offering a more accessible, practical, and easy service. A simple solution, but one that has generated a strong positive impact. That’s where your efforts need to be concentrated.

Embrace failure

We have already discussed the failure in another article, but here it is important to quote it again. Surely, each of us knows at least one person who speaks and speaks and does not act. These people have great ideas and plans, but they are not going to implement them because they fear failure. Here, in these cases, the only thing that prevents you from becoming a successful entrepreneur is fear itself. Don’t be part of this group! Remember that failure is inevitable, but it is how you react to it and what you choose to learn that matters. Allow your dreams to turn into actions. Nobody has become a successful entrepreneur by sitting on the sofa and hoping for a client to come.