One of the questions making it’s way into my inbox is about education. More specifically, people want to know how, as a business owner, you can find the time to improve your skillset. After all, nothing stays constant and you need to stay on top of your game.
The Importance of Improving Your Skillset
As a business owner, it’s important that you dedicate time to improving your skillset so you can continue making money. Of course, this looks like different things depending on what stage you are in. Here are some examples of skillsets you can look to improve:
- Sales
- Communication
- Relationship Building
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Technical
How you go about giving yourself the time to improve your skillset will depend on your personality and circumstances. In this article, we’re laying out some options you can choose from.
Determine what skillset you need to improve right now.
The key to finding the time to improve your skillset is to not go overboard. How many of us buy class after class only to never actually do them? Often times, it’s because we take on way too much.
The best way to combat this is to find the one skillset you need to improve right now. For example, I tend to give myself a year to get really good at something. One year that looks like sales and another year that looks like systems.
Give yourself the time.
Does improving your skillset have to take you a year? No. But you need to keep in mind that you need to give yourself time in order to really learn and implement. The reality is we’re busy running businesses and having lives. That means we need to give ourselves some wiggle room.
Try total immersion.
Some people like to completely immerse themselves in order to learn a skill. The idea is that the best way to learn (and implement) quickly is to just throw yourself into it. It’s the same concept as someone trying to learn a new language – in order to actually do it they need to completely immerse themselves in it.
Depending on the skillset you’re trying to learn and how long it takes, total immersion could be a good option for you. For example, if I’m trying to improve a smaller scale skillset – like Facebook ads or affiliate marketing – then I’ll just throw myself into a course over a weekend.
Get help.
Sometimes, in order to improve your skillset, you need to get help. This often looks like finding a mentor or teacher to guide you and hold you accountable. For example, I took a sales training when I was learning sales. In 2017, I sought out a mentor to help me create systems.
The end result is you save a whole lot of time. They are also able to create the space to hold you accountable. And, finally, you start seeing results much faster.
Final Thoughts
Finding the time to improve your skillset is extremely important as a business owner. By using these tips you can find the time and the accountability you need to continue moving your business forward.
Amanda Abella
Amanda is a best-selling author of "Make Money Your Honey", a book that helps freelancers and business owners understand their relationship with money and how to make it more productive. She's driven by helping others live the most productive and fruitful way possible.