An entrepreneur routinely makes critical business decisions and faces a multitude of problems on a near-daily basis, not all of which can be solved through an easy route. Customers, family, friends and partners may abruptly criticize or reject your ideas, or even try to browbeat you into submission. But some of these negative encounters could in turn spur an epiphany that lets you come up richer for the experience. The takeaway is that problems and adversity in life and work will inevitably come up, so solving them — and solving them profitably — is what entrepreneurs should strive to achieve.
The most successful entrepreneurs tend to respond to every problem by looking at the bigger picture to gain important insights, which they apply other issues and use to improve their business model. Your mantra as an entrepreneur should be to convert the problem into a challenge, view it as a gateway to an excellent opportunity and come up with a creative solution.
When facing adversity in your business, there are a few golden rules to keep in mind, culled from advice from savvy entrepreneurs have who have been down a similar path.
Delve Deep
When faced with a problem, some of the best entrepreneurs tend to immediately isolate and try to resolve it. However, they also typically have a broad outlook and try to understand how the problem arose by ruminating on multiple questions. What is its genesis? Is there something that is being missed or overlooked? Are other people facing the same issues? How are they solving it? Is there a market gap in this scenario? Can I play a role in it? All these questions and more will need to be answered to delve deeply into your problem.
Hurry!
Speed is the name of the game. Never ever procrastinate anything that can be done now until tomorrow, especially something that warrants your immediate attention.
Attitude
Swift actions with great energy solve 50% of most problems that entrepreneurs face. Carrying a positive attitude will spare you from a lot of heartburn and dismay. Don’t let problems fester. Rally your troops and yourself, and dive headfirst into resolving the issues.
Point of View
Sometimes when facing a problem that has you stumped for answers, you may need to take a step back and change viewpoints. This enables you to think laterally and to consider the different angles the issue presents.
Define your Issues
Finding a solution before defining the real issues can lead to devastating consequences. If you closely scrutinize one problem, you will likely find that all your problems are interlinked with one other to some extent. So, it’s crucial to define an issue as specifically as possible and to adopt a holistic approach to resolving it.
Innovate
The world is changing at a rapid pace, and to keep up you need to be innovative. It is important that you give yourself some time to observe and patiently reflect to be able to think big. When a problem comes your way, successful entrepreneurs advise looking at it as an opportunity. Follow their lead by fostering a culture of innovation that runs through the organization.
Wrap-up: Change your Perspective
As a business leader, you need to cultivate an appetite for making opportunities from problems. Keeping a pulse on the market, listening to customers and watching your competition are the best approach to solving problems as an entrepreneur. Once you master the art, what’s to stop you from being the next one to flip a problem into millions of dollars?
