This next question is from @shaktispace and as a fellow entrepreneur, I have had the same difficulty.
She asks, “How can I sum up my 6 years of entrepreneurship as an asset instead of a hole in my career when I have gained business acumen, sales and management experience, etc?”
My answer is:
You can do two things. One is to change the focus of your resume slightly for each position that you apply for to accentuate the skills you have gained as a business owner to match the keywords in the job description.
The second is to use your business skills to network like crazy. There will always be some companies and people that you cannot convince in a resume and cover letter that your hard won experience is just what they need to fill the position. Very often your resume is scanned by a junior employee or machine to weed you out. You can just get so far with a resume or cover letter alone. Sometimes, cover letters are not even read. There are too many applicants to give each one such a careful review. Often companies do not want someone who could learn the position quickly, but someone who has done what they are looking for exactly, and for the last few years.
So, use the creativity that made you start a business and network both online and in person.
You have to be just that more persistent and I speak from personal experience.
