Posted by Christine Marcelino ? Monday, November 5, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?
Nonsensical Infographic No. 5 by Chad Hagen
Running a successful business means having the ability to stay on your toes and constantly learning. ?Starting out, we learn by trial and error or rely on the advice of others to move forward. We may read a few articles or watch a few videos every now and then, but as our business grows, very rarely do we take the time to seek out knowledge beyond what is in front of us. But this is the time where learning is key and knowledge becomes an even more powerful tool in making the right moves to grow your business. Classes online and offline offer a wealth of knowledge at our fingertips. Unlike in school, these classes are geared to help grow your business and skillsets.? And yes they can be relatively cheap, if not free, and flexible in timing.
Upon the advice of a well-admired friend and mentor, I took a class on start-up finances through General Assembly. It wasn?t up my creative alley, but I was willing to take a chance. Plus it was only $30 for a 3-hour class. It was full of start up kids and one really great teacher. The class followed a general outline, but was really fueled by dialogue and Q&A. ?In the end, I gained the specific steps I needed to take to create small wins in laying the groundwork for my business and to grow my business in the future. Not bad for a single session. It got me addicted to learning and now I want to share my addiction with you.
Identify Gaps of knowledge and potential interests. Take the time to get out of your comfort zone by listing out areas where taking a class might help you achieve your business goals.?? My biggest insecurity at the time was not about handling my finances, but being confident I was handling it in the best way possible. I was also interested in understanding more about financial planning and how to get funding. Let?s say you aren?t great on delivering your elevator pitch, take the time to take a class on giving presentations. Or you want to be able to start selling in retail stores, take advantage of a class on how to approach potential buyers.? If you know what you need, you will find it easier to target the classes that fill in those gaps.
Benefits. Besides the obvious benefit of a bigger brain, taking a class affords an opportunity for growth more than you could imagine. ?Networking is probably not the primary motive for taking a class, but you can at least expand your network an expert and maybe some new friends or collaborators outside of your usual circles. Also, the newly learned acumen gives you the confidence to make good decisions to help move you forward.
Sources. Here are a few suggestions. Please note that I haven?t taken a class from all these sources, so do your research and ask questions to see which is the right fit for you.
-?????? SkillShare.com ? Global marketplace for classes ? The site has a wide variety of classes. Some are very random and fun, many are specific and helpful.
-?????? General Assembly ? ?Local classes for technology, business, and design. (http://generalassemb.ly/)
-?????? Stanford Free Online Classes ? Ok, some of these seem very techy, but they change every semester and always have a few classes on entrepreneurship and business.
-?????? Etsy Labs ? Free and very helpful when I first started. They aren?t classes per se but still great for expanding your knowledge on a subject.
-?????? Another source I would suggest is your local city college. At San Francisco City College, they provide free classes on coding, business 101, and even Photoshop.
These are a few out of many and I hope they are helpful.? If you have a suggestion on a class source, any insight would be much appreciated.
Enjoy!
Cheers, Christine
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