Most times entrepreneurs are unaware of their skills, talents, and unique attributes, so they sell themselves short and develop poor self-esteem. All entrepreneurs have skills and are highly talented in their ways. These skills are learned or inherited. They all work together uniquely to make them dominant in their area of the venture. There are three classes of skills required by entrepreneurs for the advancement of their business and they are, functional skills, self-management skills and special knowledge. 

Functional skills are abilities or talents that are inherited at birth, engraved in our DNA and developed through experience and learning. At birth, we learn to negotiate and sell ourselves through cries and gestures. Mothers recognise the sound of a child’s cry as a message and a negotiation tool for the necessities of life such as food, dry diaper, sleep, tender-loving care and comfort. Our ability to communicate what we think and feel starts with just a cry too. As we grow, the environment uses these inherited talents to improve our cognitive learning, independence and self-determination, physical and spiritual health, as well as social and emotional growth. Attending school allows the entrepreneur to apply these inherited talents to academics and practical situations.

Self-management skill is the ability to manage our behaviours, thoughts, and emotions consciously and productively. It is the behaviour that is developed in learning to cope with the environment, people and cultures. Self-management means entrepreneurs understand their responsibility in different aspects of their life, and they do what they need to fulfil that responsibility. Someone with strong self-management skills knows what to do and how to act in different situations. For instance, being energetic, determined, resourceful or dependable are entrepreneurial skill sets that enhance business advancement. Self-management is even more important when the key requirement is empowering entrepreneurs to be more innovative and resourceful. When business owners understand their responsibilities, goals, and what it takes to achieve them, they can make better decisions and do their part to achieve the business objectives. Part of effective self-management with empowerment is that entrepreneurs make excellent decisions about when to seek additional help or input. 

Special knowledge skills are those having to do with mastering a specific body of information related to a particular type of work, profession, occupation, educational, or leisure activity. They are the traits and abilities the entrepreneur possess that make them particularly qualified for carrying out the specialised business venture. They relate directly to technical or practical skills, of a more generalized purpose that makes them useful in many settings. Accounting, medicine, architecture, graphics, ICT, and catering are examples. 

It takes a combination of all these types of skills to advance a business venture. We can not be experts at everything. Business owners should give themselves credit for all the great things they can do. It is also wise that entrepreneurs evaluate and discuss with their mentors the functional, self-management, and special knowledge skills they have before they pursue a business venture.