Starting one’s own business is the dream of many, many people. And with the Internet leveling the playing field in terms of low-cost access to potential target markets, the dream can seem even more accessible.
Yet there’s one important element to be considered before anyone quits his/her job to start running his/her own business:
Are you prepared to be on a continual learning curve the rest of your working life?
Yes, that’s what it takes in most cases. In fact, even if you make so much money that you can hire people to do things for you, you still need to be able to understand enough to supervise what others are doing for you.
While it would probably be a good idea if every high school student had to take an accounting course (probably more useful than the required economics course), this is unlikely to happen. Therefore, many people start their own business without any knowledge of good business accounting principles.
And whether your business is on the Web or has a physical location, you still need to figure out how much money you have going out and how much money you have coming in – accounting 101.
Melinda F. Emerson in her upcoming book “Become Your Own Boss in 12 Months or Less! A Month-By-Month Guide to a Business That Works” (I have a review copy) says: “As a business owner, you must constantly look for ways to improve yourself… The idea is no matter where you are in business, you can always improve how you do things and learn something that can help your business grow.”
Why am I going on and on about this? Because I’ve been communicating with potential clients who want to grow their business and yet have not taken advantage of the free resources on the Internet to learn as much as possible about what the Internet can offer their business.
I feel badly for the people who email me saying that they want to grow their business online but don’t really understand anything about how their website works or how other things work on the Web.
While I control myself, I want to write back in all capital letters: THEN START LEARNING!
You don’t have to become a computer programmer but you sure better learn about the opportunities that your Web site can provide your business. Because, after all, it’s your business – and you can’t afford to let someone else have all the knowledge about a very important aspect of your business.
To start learning more, do a Google or a Bing search and look for blogs that post Web site information. Sign up for email notification or an RSS feed to be alerted each time a new post is published.
FYI – I use Twitter as my personal information sifter. I often click on a link to a blog post recommended by someone I follow and trust on Twitter. This way I get exposed to all kinds of new ideas and information.
Take Melinda Emerson’s words to heart and constantly look for ways to improve yourself by learning more about your business – on and off the Web.
© 2010 Miller Mosaic, LLC
Phyllis Zimbler Miller (@ZimblerMiller on Twitter) has an
M.B.A. from The Wharton School and is an Internet
business consultant. Her new
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