3 ways you can develop your knowledge to grow your business
02 September 2016
Posted by Equus Partners
An important part of owning a business is developing a culture of learning.
At Equus Partners, one of our values is ‘Forever Forward’. Based on Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement of working practices and personal efficiency, it’s about constantly developing and improving both yourself and your business.
Our aim is to always be better today than we were yesterday. But while that’s a fantastic goal to strive for, it can be hard figuring out just how to go about it. “What should I be doing to improve myself and grow my business? And how do I go about doing it?”
Here are three ways we develop our skills and knowledge to take our business to the next level, which you can apply too:
1. Attend events
No, we’re not talking about those so-called networking events where the aim seems to be to exchange as many business cards as possible. We’re talking about the events (often free) that provide a huge amount of value.
This value can come in the form of:
- content or ideas you didn’t know about before
- success stories from other business owners
- simply being around people who share a similar view of the world and business.
Our advice is to get yourself to these events, and get your business heading in the right direction. Search on Eventbrite and Meetup.com for events you can attend in your area.
2. Get into a course
While enrolling in a college or university course might be a bit much, there are plenty of online courses you can sign up for to build on your learning. Just make sure it’s in an area that’s valuable to you and your business, and not something you’re not very good at or could outsource (e.g. accounting or bookkeeping). Invest in yourself to get better and develop your learning.
3. Join an Accountability or Mastermind Group.
There’s huge value in joining a Mastermind group. (Here’s a video of us at a recent one.) Just make sure the group focuses on collaboration rather than competition, and is one where everyone shares their ideas.As long as you’re willing to contribute (you get as much out of these groups as you put in), they’re a great way to learn and improve yourself every day.
So there you have it: three ideas you can start implementing to enhance your knowledge and grow your business. It’s all about putting yourself in the right environment. After all, environment breeds success.
But if you’re still having trouble working out where to start, ask yourself this question: “What specific thing do I need to focus on to take my business to the next level?”
By investing in the answer, and developing your skills and knowledge in that area, you and your business will both come out winners.