Networking and self-study can help your business succeed

Many people make the mistake of thinking that you need to go to university and study business to be able to get ahead as a company owner. This simply isn’t true. While many great business owners do have a business degree behind them, there are also plenty that don’t.

Here are some of the resources company owners can pull on that are not full university degrees.

Shorter courses

If an owner cannot commit to a full three to four years of university, why not look for something shorter? There are plenty of shorter courses.

that would suit someone just as well – and they would not have to juggle running a business alongside them.

For example, there are many intensive seminars that last maybe a week or a weekend. These are a great option, as they allow all the learning to be done quickly in a short timescale.

An owner would not have to take too much time away from their company, and they could gain some important knowledge that could help them further down the line.

Inspirational leaders

For a person who prefers to look into motivation or inspiration more than academia, there are plenty of books and resources that have been produced by industry leaders to help others get ahead.

Whether you are reading from great resources such as Tej Kohli’s books or taking a skim through Be Fearless from Jean Case, a business owner could learn so much from the lessons they present on the pages.

They are industry leaders for a reason, so taking a look at their words and what they can offer through their books can be a great business and personal move. For those who feel like a course is dry and never teaches them anything, a resource like this should be something to be strongly considered.

Networking with fellow business owners

Do you, as a business owner, call upon your network as often as you should? Every company owner will have a network of both local business owners and fellow industry experts. By choosing to call upon their expertise when there is a problem, a company owner can begin to overcome many of the issues that they might encounter.

Starting to build a network is easy to do. Meetings can be casual affairs over coffee, or they could be more regimented and could come with minutes and an agenda. Whatever the group feels is the best way to support each other should be the way forward.

Take the time to adequately discuss goals with the group to avoid frustrations later on.

University and other forms of higher education are certainly one path that a business owner can choose to take to get their expertise. However, these are also not the only routes. Company owners can rise to become industry experts with a lot of hard work and a progressive attitude.

You do not need to go to university to have a successful business, and there are lots of resources out there for those who choose this path.