BUSINESS

New Business Skills Everyone Should Learn

The past 10-12 years have welcomed an unprecedented number of small businesses and startup organizations into the marketplace. There have been a variety of different trends, events, and factors that have played into the sharp rise in both small businesses and independent ventures over the past few years, and this has created a vibrant, competitive, and very active economy. Not only that, but certain events have led to the stimulation and growth of the digital, virtual, and mobile marketplaces specifically. The COVID-19 pandemic, for example, single handedly drove organizations to make a transition toward remote operations and services. Simultaneously, the pandemic pushed many consumer buying habits online. All-in-all, this created a bit of a boom within the virtual and mobile marketplaces.

Outside of all this recent context, owning, running, and operating a small business has never been an easy task. The successful operation of a small business or startup organization takes a person who is willing to learn the ins and outs of many different roles. From learning how to best market the product or service, to learning how to win over investors, and create a website. There are endless aspects of business operations that owners and operators need to learn.

“Developing a small business into a successful enterprise demands more than passion. Unfortunately, facts speak for themselves. Over half of new businesses fail mainly because entrepreneurs cannot translate their passion into practical business skills. Success demands more than hard work, resilience, and expertise in your field. In order to succeed, you need to understand and to become proficient in a set of fundamental business skills.”

Chad Brooks, Editor, Business.com –

Mastering the World of Social Media

In 2022, there is no startup organization or small business strategy guide that won’t mention social media. Honestly, if you come across a small business guide that doesn’t mention the importance and value of social media, stop reading it and look elsewhere for your information. There are a variety of business tools, techniques, and strategies that involve learning and utilizing the intricacies of social media.

“As a small business owner, you have to be making use of the free space and marketing platforms that social media offers. It’s just how the modern marketplace is designed. If you want consumers to take you seriously, you have to be discoverable on social media.”

– John Berry, CEO and Managing Partner, Berry Law

Even within the context of social media marketing, there is a ton to learn. From the different varieties of social media campaigns to understanding the differences in consumer segments between a platform like Twitter and a platform like Instagram. Additionally, small business owners and marketing professionals looking to learn about social media strategies should also learn about social media calendars and cross-channel-communication softwares.

“If you want to make your life a little easier regarding posting on social media, you should look into a program like Loomly, or any of the other social media calendar softwares. They make it really easy to post across multiple platforms, schedule posts as far out in advance as you want, and depending on the software, a variety of other features as well. It makes the whole social media strategy a lot smoother.”

– Ryan Delk, CEO, Primer

Modern day Collaboration Tactics

The modern work world is a remote-work-world. In the wake of the pandemic the work-from-home culture has been proven extremely effective and viable. As such, it’s likely here to stay far into the future, no matter how far in the rearview mirror the pandemic seems to get. In light of this, it’s integral that modern professionals familiarize themselves with the collaboration tools of the day. For instance, programs like Slack that make internal instant messaging and communication extremely smooth and easy.

“There are so many business and enterprise type tools out there that are designed to make the life of the working-professional easier. Not only that, but these tools help increase productivity too. It’s putting yourself at a disadvantage if you don’t utilize the tools available.”

– George Fraguio, Vice President of Bridge Lending, Vaster

With so many professionals working from home, it’s important to find a certain amount of comfort in front of a camera. This is because so many meetings have transitioned to a video-conference-format through technology like Zoom, or other video conferencing platforms.

“Getting used to seeing yourself on screen each and every day, that can take a little bit of time. But that’s the nature of the working-world right now. Most people are collaborating through video because it’s just a lot more convenient.”

– Michael Van, CEO, Furnishr

Defining a Target Audience

Another business skill that’s seemingly becoming more and more important each and every year is the ability to accurately and successfully define the target audience. A target audience is a segmented group of consumers who share a predetermined number of demographic variables. Then, these shared variables are used to inform and design a particular marketing campaign targeted at that specific grouping of consumers.

In the world of digital marketing, defining a target audience is integral to the success of the campaign.

“Effectively defining the target audience takes a lot of the guesswork out of marketing campaigns. It makes the whole process a lot more precise. Not to mention, you can learn a lot about your consumers by segmenting them in different and unique ways.”

– Dan Gray, General Manager, Kotn Supply

Understanding what a target audience is, how one is defined, and how to best market to one is helpful for any working professional regardless of their specific role within the organization.

“Especially in the modern startup business it feels like everyone has to be willing and able to wear multiple hats at any given point during any given day. It’s just the nature of figuring things out as you go along.”

– Melissa Rhodes, CEO, Psychics1on1

Content Marketing

One of the most powerful and influential forms of marketing to stem from this generation is undoubtedly content marketing. Content marketing is a relatively large umbrella which encompasses a variety of different techniques and strategies. However, the basic premise is to create impactful and resonant content that engages consumers without necessarily being sales driven. Content marketing is extremely popular with the modern consumer and therefore should be on the radar of any modern professional looking to make a splash within their industry.

“In my mind, there’s no doubt that content marketing is the #1 most effective form of marketing that there is. I’m not sure if the stats will back that up, but I know for me and my company; content marketing works better than any other campaign we’ve implemented. I highly suggest trying it out.”

– Eric Elggren, Co-Founder, Andar

Being familiar with the basic trends and strategies involved with content marketing can set you up to make informed decisions, or to contribute to conversations on how content marketing may benefit your organization now or in the future.

“Any business that wants to remain competitive through the end of 2022 and moving into 2023, needs to get started with a robust and comprehensive content marketing plan. It’s one of the best ways that companies can continually connect with consumers.”

– Brittany Dolin, Co-Founder, Pocketbook Agency

Data Analytics and Measuring Consumer Metrics

Finally, when it comes to new business skills that any and every working professional should add to their repertoire, data analytics and the ability to read and understand consumer metrics are two extremely sought skills. Data analysis and reading consumer metrics play really important roles in the world of digital marketing.

“Without data analysis there is no organization like Amazon, or Google, or Instagram, or any of these other behemoth tech companies that almost all our modern day startup techies aspire to be like. If you’re good at data analysis, you can get a job just about anywhere.”

– Asker A Ahmed, Director, iProcess

Data analysis is integral to finding out important and powerful insights about your company, and the way in which consumers interact with it. Strong data analytics are an extremely important part of successfully operating a business in 2022.

“We live in a world that’s powered by data. This is true now, and will be true for as long as we continue to integrate smart-technology further and further into our everyday lives. Data is everywhere. Being able to read and understand it is almost like a superpower.”

– Omid Semino, CEO and Founder, Diamond Mansion

Final Thoughts on Business Skills Worth Learning

There are many business skills that are worth learning, and thanks to the breadth and depth of the internet, there are plenty of ways to learn them. The skills included on this list will help you become a more well-rounded, technically savvy, and capable professional in the hyper-digital and remote-working-world of 2022.

“The business skills you develop can help you succeed as an entrepreneur. You’ll need to establish a balance of hard business skills like marketing and soft business skills like creativity. Taking the time to become a master of these skills and more can allow you to build a successful brand. You’ll also be able to provide adequate training to employees and virtual assistants. “

Nicole Martins Ferreira, Author, Oberlo –

TIME BUSINESS NEWS  

TBN Editor

Time Business News Editor Team