“Alex, what skillsets do you think I have that I can use to build a business?

So that is a great question, that came through not too long ago so I thought I would share with you 5 skillsets that you already possess by being member of public service, be that in the Police Force, NHS, Fire or Teaching, which can be easily transferred into building your very own successful business.

And pay very close attention to the last skillset as that is truly special!

And before I begin, you may not value these skillsets as you use them so often, but they will be essential for your success in building your own business!

The first skillset is COMMUNICATION!

Whether you’re in the Police Force, NHS, Fire or Teaching, your communication skills are pretty amazing. You communicate with fellow colleagues or the public on a regular basis in an effective way.

A lack of communication, internally or externally, can lead to the collapse of any business. Without proper marketing, most businesses will struggle to survive. Communication also adds to productivity such as dealing with suppliers, customers and team members, which actually helps avoid delays in the execution of your ideas.

As a public sector worker, you have built this skillset over the years and to be honest, not many people in the general public can communicate as well as articulate their plans, ideas so well.

 The second skillset is PROBLEM SOLVING!

Entrepreneurs are problem solvers. We find problems within a market and we help solve them for a select target market. Also not to mention solving problems within your own business when they arise.

In your role in public service, you solve problems on a regular basis!

Whether that is dealing with a warrant, the courts, public order, fraud, burglaries, breach of peace, a detainee in custody or just about any other area of policing! Perhaps it’s when you’re dealing with a patient, working in a team to put out a fire or leading a classroom full of students?

This skillset that you as a public sector worker already possess is essential in business because that is what you will do on a regular basis, solve problems.  With this comes an opportunity to grow your business, come up with new ideas and new products, as well as moving you through the challenges of business much quicker.

The third skillset is TEAM WORKING!

In business we typically start as a solo-preneur, however, if this carries on too long, it can be damaging for your business.

Entrepreneurship is a TEAM sport, from building your own team in sales, operations and finance to building a power team of suppliers and distributors.

Public service is the same – you work in a team to ultimately get the desired outcome you want from a particular job. You share the same vision of that job and pull in resources when needed from different team members, with delegation.

Great things in business are never done by one individual person, they are done by a team of people and I think you would agree, public service is the same.

The Fourth Skillset is RESILIENCE!

As a public sector worker, you have the incredible ability to bounce back after encountering difficulties on duty, whether that is dealing with the public or the government… And this unique skill of toughness will go very far in business as an entrepreneur.

As amazing as being your own boss is, things go wrong from time to time and when this happens it is often those without the skill of resilience that find it hard to get back on track.

Resilience enables you to move through hardships and become better in the process. Learning from those hardships so that you can refine your approaches to certain tasks and plans. Transferring this skillset into business will be somewhat seamless.

The fifth skillset is SELLING!

I know what you are thinking, you probably haven’t sold anything yet. Well, let me challenge you on that.

You see you have sold before, maybe not in exchange for money. When you are dealing with non-compliant members of the public, you are essentially influencing and persuading those members to get your desired outcome and by any means, that is selling.

You are selling those members to take a specific action that not only will help you, but it will also help them!  And in business, this is what also happens.

Selling is all around you in your day to day job.  Not only with members of the public but also with supervisors and higher ranks.

So those are the 5 skillsets that will help public sector workers in business.

I hope this blog has helped and gave you a bit of confidence in your ability to build a successful business one day and if you are interested in doing just that, you can click on the link HERE to check out our next Success QuickStart Days.