Bronwen Sciortino : Must-Have Skills for Entrepreneurs in 2024

Bronwen Sciortino is CEO & Founder of sheIQ Life

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what got you into entrepreneurship?

I like to say that I 'accidentally' became an entrepreneur. I started journaling to overcome a massive fear of writing anything personal down and that morphed into my first book - Keep It Super Simple - being published. As that book went out into the world, people loved its contents and started asking me how else they could work with me. They wanted me to provide them with articles, online programs, Keynote Speeches, Workshops, Leadership Development Programs, Retreat facilitation, Executive Coaching and Mentoring and the list went on. I suddenly found myself with a global business and had to very quickly settle into the entrepreneurial lifestyle.

What are the top three skills you think are crucial for entrepreneurs today?

I think each entrepreneur needs to identify and harness the top three skills that are most beneficial for them. The very nature of entrepreneurship is that you identify a gap in what is being provided, create the solution and then provide it in a way that is highly accessible to your market. Without a doubt, that requires the ability to act quickly, be flexible and be a front runner but the skills needed in each situation will vary because what is being created, developed and provided differs vastly.

How do you think the role of technology has impacted these skills in recent years?

Technology is both friend and foe. It makes our lives so much easier in so many ways but can also create havoc in life if we let it run unchecked. We can access global markets with ease but that also means that we can be invaded with calls, emails and messages 24/7 as different timezones around the globe come in to play. It can streamline our communication process, but it can also mean that people expect an immediate response to contact with you. At the end of the day, it's important for every entrepreneur to embrace the aspects of technology that improves the production, delivery and service whilst containing the aspects that can create an impact that detracts from the main focus of business.

Could you share a story with us about how you used some of these skills to overcome a challenge in your journey?

I possess a multitude of traits that have helped me succeed. In particular, my journey has been greatly influenced and shaped by harnessing the following three skills: self-reliance, intuition, and connection.

Becoming self-reliant has helped me figure out what to do next to keep moving forward when things have been a little harder than usual. Everyone goes through ups and downs in life, and in today's fast paced way of life it can seem like the experiences during the downs are becoming more and more intense as time goes by. Being self-reliant has allowed me to rely on myself and have a strong belief in my talents, which has made it so much easier for me to get through these difficult times. I have found that it also makes it easier to make critical decisions and to be flexible enough to take unexpected turns when needed.

My connection to myself and to the needs of the Universe has resulted in my heightened awareness of what is happening both now and in the past. By deliberately and consciously connecting to my intuition, I've been able to let go of resistance and adjust to the needs of the situation rather than trying to force things to go my way or fight against things that aren't working.

Letting go of control and ceasing to try to influence and steer circumstances was one of the hardest lessons I had to learn as my awareness grew. I learned that when you have faith in your relationship with the universe and yourself, information can still flow, even when you let go of attempting to control everything.

You can obtain knowledge about what's essential for you and other people when you go within yourself and listen to what's really going on. This skill has also allowed me to create products and services (like my books and online courses) that provide individuals the information they need to connect with others and a clear path to help them pick their own way in life.

In your opinion, how important is it for entrepreneurs to adapt to changing trends and what do you see as the biggest trend in 2024?

I believe that entrepreneurs read between the lines of trends and see the 'thing' that's missing. Therefore, entrepreneurs don't really adapt to trends, rather they create tangents to existing trends or they're the creator of new trends. I think the two biggest trends for 2024 will come from the health and wellness space and the AI space. They're the front runners in people's minds at the moment and it will be really interesting to see what new and funky products and services the entrepreneurs of the world create in these spaces.

What's one common mistake you often see new entrepreneurs make, and how can they avoid it?

I think the biggest mistake entrepreneurs make is not admitting to themselves earlier enough that they are actually an entrepreneur. There are so many people that come up with fantastic ideas that can make the world a better place, but they don't believe enough in themselves to back their product or service into being.  The way to overcome this is to do the work on yourself so that you know who you are, know what you stand for, know what's important to you and use that to fuel the things you do every day. When someone questions what you're doing, or tries to tell you you're never going to get anywhere, you've got a really strong touch point to come back to that re-connects you to why you're doing what you do and allows you to move forward again.

How do you keep learning and growing as an entrepreneur?

Develop a curious mindset. Expand your mind, expand your experiences and never stop learning. Look at every situation and see as many perspectives, possibilities and opportunities as you can. Ask questions that open your mind and allow you to see things in another way.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone just starting their entrepreneurial journey in 2024?

Do the work to believe in yourself and have confidence in yourself first. Once you've got those two things you won't be so reliant on others having your back through your journey. As an entrepreneur, you will be a front runner. You'll create products and services long before people know they need them. Most people won't understand what you're doing and it can often feel lonely out the front of the pack, on your own. But if you believe in yourself and have confidence in what you're doing and why you're doing it, you'll always be in great company.