Executive Business Coach Chuck Boyce’s Blog: Success Means School is Never Out

Doctors, dentists and other health professionals get a little help staying on top of their game – because it’s the law. Their professional boards require them to continue their education throughout their years of practice. Which means from time to time, your own doctor literally goes back to school, taking classes in new techniques and making sure the old ones are still working properly.

Believe it or not, Independent Executives do the exact same thing.

Because they know in both medicine and in business, the only real constant is change.
In my work a new business coach, I get a lot of questions about how to make sure a client’s new venture is a success. It’s a pretty important question, especially when you consider that the vast majority of new businesses fail within the first 5 years.

And honestly, I tell them the most important thing they can do for their business is to keep learning. And by “keep learning,” I mean invest in your continuing education, just like medical professionals do.

Most small business people don’t invest in continuing education, they decide they’re going to self-educate. They think that simply running their business is going teach them everything to know. They’ll “learn by doing.”

The problem is that there’s so much to do that while they’re putting all their energy into running their new business, outside, the world they do business in is changing. The economy fluctuates. New trends emerge, and others fade. New technologies and systems become hugely important, seemingly out of nowhere. Case in point: the social media craze. I know I wasn’t “tweeting” a year ago.

The point is, while these small business owners are “self-educating,” incredibly important changes are slipping by. They don’t have time to keep up with all this outside information; they’re too busy running a business. So they keep doing what they’re doing, and the changes turn into challenges. And maybe even problems.

But for entrepreneurs who continue their education, changes ALWAYS represent opportunities. Because they’re learning from experts exactly how to understand and take advantage of those changes.

So as busy as you may be as you become a business owner, I hope you’ll remember to invest some time and resources in your own continuing education. You’ll be amazed at how much you learn, and how much your business grows.

“Independent Executive” Chuck Boyce is an experienced small business coach who can help you get the most out of your business. For more information on how you can achieve your business goals, go to www.breakingfreeblog.com.

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