BizSugar.com › Management › 5 Keys to Business Success that has Zero to do with your Services

Like many solopreneurs, I “fell” into business ownership by complete accident. I was a marketing manager at an IT solutions company in Northern Virginia and was looking for a way out. At the time I was fortunate to have the backing of my family, savings and a supportive boss. After deciding to call it quits, I had very little idea of what I would do, I just needed time to think.

Then my boss asked me to stay on as an independent contractor and keep a few of the projects that I’d previously owned moving along. That was the beginning of my business career as a marketing communications consultant, and I loved it.

Very quickly my business grew through word of mouth (which still proves to be my biggest source of work). Eight years on, here are five things I learned about what it takes to succeed: