Debbie’s blog on Monday was a great lead in to this one. I started to write about things to think about as a local small business owner but she said it better than I would have so I won’t mess with that. I will, however, add to it.
In my mind, an overlooked quality necessary to be a successful small business owner is 
attitude. Are you ready to do it? I don’t mean do you want to and have all of the right boxes checked on your way to writing the best business plan. I mean are you ready to do what it takes? Owning a small business is the most rewarding thing I have ever done professionally, but it does take a certain mind set. And a lot of humility. And a lot of stamina.
Many people think they want to own a business, but the people that do it best are the ones that prepare themselves mentally, as well as professionally. Are you willing to work harder than you ever have 
to get the business to a sustainable level? Are you willing to give up some personal time to get things right? Are you willing to wear every hat imaginable to get the job done? And, most importantly, are you willing to listen? Listen to your customers. Listen to your advisors. Listen to the business as it speaks to you about what it needs next. That last one is where a lot of us fall down. Small business owners tend to “know” what is right because they made the decisions when writing their business plan. The good ones listen and adapt as the market speaks to them.
My chiropractor and I have a standing joke. We are the same age. We are both addicted endurance athletes. We both have
demanding careers. Every time I walk in the door, he asks me “Have you been exercising or training?” The implied difference is that exercise is to maintain while training is to get better. If you are ready to train as a local business owner, then you have the last block checked on the list of things necessary to make the leap into the world of running your own small business.
Thanks for reading.
