When you are a small business owner, you don’t know what you don’t know, right? This is just as true when you start out as it is after you have been rocking along for a few years.  What an opportunity this presents. To learn how can you make the business handling easier, you should read about the cloud vs desktop payroll software review.

Success Strategy

Lifelong business learning is a success strategy for small business owners, and a high-value activity that many do not utilize.  You are constantly running up against “must-do” projects without the “need-to-know information” to get them done! It often leaves you confused, frustrated, and overwhelmed. You can accept that, or you can put a plan in place to seek knowledge and find the solutions you need and grow your business.

Learning about new business topics, like payroll tips, and strategies does not need to be time consuming, over burdensome, or even expensive. It should be consistent and can be done successfully in tiny bites.  The information will not jump into your lap….well, with some of the social media ads today, it sometimes feels like it does. But seriously, solid information is out there waiting for you to discover and use it. How do you start?

Create a Simple Plan

You cannot learn everything you need to know in a day, hire an experienced business plan writer. This is a situation where any action is positive and a step forward. You may start joining the Microsoft 365 developer program for developing your own solutions for your business. Knowledge is never wasted, and yes, knowledge is power.

Here are some possible approaches for long-term success:

• Topic:  Decide the topic you want to concentrate on first, or a set of topics. Do you want to learn more about Facebook marketing? YouTube? Podcasting? How to master your elevator speech? Improve your sales process? How to build a website? how to manage your payroll? How to write a book so you have expert status in your field?  How to craft your digital strategy? How to use Canva? How to create your overall marketing strategy? How to learn B2B copywriting course and other freelancing programs? Learn about the 3D product render and how it will help you. So many topics!
• Time:  Set aside time each week for learning.  How much time do you need?  An hour a week? 3 hours a week? There is no one right answer, only your answer. Your time will change over the course of your business ownership. It will typically be larger in the beginning, it may level off, and it will increase again as you tackle a new business challenge, growth area, or decision. 
• Approach: Be consistent and make learning a priority.  Over time you will be expert at topics you need to know. Start today.
• Vet Resources:  Research articles, videos and other educational resources from trusted companies and organizations.  Beware, there is a lot of “junk” out there, and much of it is free.  Sometimes the free information is top notch. Other times it belongs at the bottom of the ocean. 

Armed with this information, you can now begin to craft your Lifelong Business Learning plan.

And by the way, don’t stop there! In addition to your Lifelong Business Learning plan, do you have a business plan? Working with clients, I often call that a Business Blueprint, simply because it is less intimidating.  Everything we have talked about here can be added to a section of your business plan to help keep you on track. Another lifelong learning topic? You bet! That’s for another blog, though 🙂

MEG Membership and Coaching

It was with the idea of Lifelong Business Learning that Startup to Growth created MEG – My Entrepreneurial Group. MEG is an affordable membership program that educates small business owners about “need-to-know” topics like what you can learn if you click here to read the material uploaded by subject matter experts.  We have opened our video Library, and it is growing!  Already you can watch these videos:

• Boost Your Impact with Digital Marketing Strategy
• Elevator Pitch – Compelling Self-Introduction
• Sales – Painless Prospecting Process
• 3 Steps You Can’t Skip When Building Your Marketing Strategy
• Beginner’s Guide to Writing a Book
• How Podcast Marketing Works
• Creative Canva for Small Business Owners
• Getting Started With YouTube Live Marketing

We are adding 1) How To Get a Website For Your Business and 2) Facebook and Instagram Marketing Success shortly.  Other videos are in the works, including women-owned business certifications, content marketing, LinkedIn success, and steps to starting your business (it includes a high-level overview of a business “blueprint”!). And we are just getting started.

Conclusion

There are many pathways to Lifelong Business Learning, your success strategy.  Whatever path YOU take, start today by creating a simple plan and be consistent. As you look back even a few short months from now, you will be glad you did. Remember, success is rarely accidental and results require action. What is stopping you? Yes, we coach on that, too!

If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to [email protected].  We’d love to connect with you.

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Robin Suomi, MBA, is an experienced small business expert and founder of Startup to Growth. She has worked with thousands of small business owners through coaching, mastermind groups, education and training.  Robin believes success is rarely accidental and her passion is to help her clients set and reach their goals. Working with clients remotely through video platforms, she helps clients answer their technical business planning and execution questions as well as supporting them while they explore their potential.

Robin encourages clients to dig deeper, dream bigger, and works with them to create their tangible Success Steps. Check out the website for ongoing virtual Small Business Coaching, Small Business Blueprint Coaching, and MEG (My Entrepreneurial Group) Membership program. From time to time we launch new MEG Connectand MEG Startup mastermind groups. Email [email protected] with your questions or to set up a free 1-1 consultation.