Most Important Skills for a Self-Employed Business Owner
For Erik, crucial skills include management, particularly utilizing assistants effectively, even though Erik admits to not being "as great of a manager as [they] could be" because of a lack of dedicated time. The ability to "read people," identifying potential clients and collaborators, alongside maintaining unwavering focus through self-accountability measures like time tracking, also proves integral to Erik's success as a self-employed author and business owner.
Management Skills, Interpersonal Communication, Focus and Self-Accountability, Time Management, Entrepreneurship
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Erik Seversen
Author, Business Owner
Innovative Educational Services; Thin Leaf Press; Self-Publishing Center
UCLA
Anthropology, University of Virginia, MA
Anthropology, Sociology
Consulting & Related Professional Services, Education
Consulting
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Managing people is a critical skill, even if it's an area for improvement. Carving out time to train assistants can significantly improve efficiency and leverage their potential.
2. The ability to assess people's needs and determine if your services are the right fit is essential. Recognizing when someone would be better served by another person is also important.
3. Staying focused and on track is crucial for self-employed individuals. Techniques like using a timer to monitor productive time versus break time can greatly enhance productivity.
Transcript
What skills are most important for a job like yours?
Ironically, managing is probably one of the skills I'm least good at. I think I'm a good manager, but I'm not as good as I could be because I don't take the time to delegate.
I have six part-time assistants who do various tasks for me. My life would be so much easier if I carved out a four-hour chunk to work with one of them, teaching them a repetitive task that I handle.
Instead, I just get through my days doing those same things myself, when I could offload them. My assistants have more to offer than I have time to explain. It's my fault for not being a better manager, and it's a skill that would elevate my work.
Another skill is the ability to assess if someone needs what I offer. If they could benefit, my communication skills come into play, assuring them it will work out. It's also important to recognize when someone would do better with someone else. This relates to anthropology, being able to read people and find the right fit.
Staying on track and focused is also a crucial skill, especially as I'm a hundred percent self-employed. I have accountability partners and a small group I meet with quarterly. A colleague and I have a quick call every week.
To keep myself on track, I start my day at my desk at six sharp. I have a timer that tracks whether I'm focused on work or taking a break. At the end of the day, I know exactly how many minutes I was productive versus how many were spent on breaks, getting tea, or walking the dog.
Without this focus and self-accountability, I wouldn't be nearly as productive. Before I got my timer, I was an hour and a half less productive per day. Monitoring every minute of my time has made a significant difference.