IT is not sufficient for entrepreneurs to know that they have to play managerial, technical and entrepreneurial roles within their business to be successful – they have to know how to successfully manage those three roles to take their enterprise to another level.

The entrepreneurial skills are almost self-explanatory as they involve the vision to see opportunities in business where others cannot. However, it is in the technical and managerial skills that business owners often come unstuck either because they do not have the training or because their life skills experience has never included managing employees to inspire them to have the same company vision.

The story of one Business Partners client demonstrates how these three elements conspire to achieve success, but with the wrong decision-making or indecision could also work as a factor towards failure.

The client wanted to establish a business that specialised in a particular metalwork process, but raising the capital required for translating his dream from employee to employer was more challenging than he had initially anticipated. He knew the process offered superior protection against corrosion, but for three years he battled against seemingly-endless odds to convince financiers that he had a viable business prospect.

He was repeatedly turned down by traditional banks, but never lost sight of his vision for a business that could offer a valuable service to customers in industries where steel was a core component.

Since becoming a Business Partner client, he has been highly committed to his venture, investing countless hours into the business through late nights and weekends. His hands-on approach and attitude that no job is too hard or too dirty for him to tackle personally means he has built an enviable rapport with his clients and respect from his employees.

In only a year he has grown from having three clients on his books to nearly 650, driven by a passion for what he is doing; personal marketing initiatives; cold-calling with the entrepreneurial dedication to demonstrate technical knowledge and unwavering client service that translated into word-of-mouth referrals.

He leads from the front, never shy to show his employees that he too can be at the behest of clients. Working alongside his management team he plans and organises the work required for the day, week and month ahead. He budgets meticulously for work coming through different periods, taking into account the resources demanded, the staff needed for shifts and the tight controls required within the production process.

In his book Ultimate Home-based Business Handbook, James Stephenson says regardless of a personal definition of success, there are many common characteristics shared by successful businesspeople. Inherent in these are enjoyment for the work being undertaken; taking what you do seriously and planning every aspect of the business, specifically analysing each business situation, researching and compiling data such that you can make informed decisions.

In getting each of these elements in place, entrepreneurs have the tools for success.