How Do You Get the Business Education You Need?

There's lots to learn. Where are you going to get a good business education? Guess what? It's time to go back to school! Don't panic... I don't mean a four-year business school or college. That would probably be nice, but who has the time or money to spend on that right now. Besides, that kind of education would probably be overkill. You want to learn how to start your own business now, not get a job at a Fortune 500 corporation in a few years.

A hungry entrepreneur knows that there's a lot to learn. It's what you know that will give you a competitive edge in the beginning and when the going gets tough later. There's lots of places to find the business education you need. Here are some places to look.

Back To School

When you think about getting a business education, what's the first thing you think about? School, of course! The first place to look to is at your local college. Either a university or a community college will have a lot of classes to choose from.

Look for their course catalog or check online for their course list. Call the school's admissions department for information. If you need some extra help, you can schedule an appointment to talk to someone.

Don't forget to look at the community education classes. Those classes don't always offer credits but are full of useful information. You'll find computer classes and various business courses that will help you get moving towards your business goals.

Since we're talking about school, don't forget to be reading. You don't need to be enrolled in a class to find their reading list or textbook that's used. Studying on your own is a great way to learn. For some other ideas about where to find books, Click here to go to my page about finding business books to read.

Small Business Development Center

I discovered the SBDC when I needed help with my retail business. The Small Business Development Center is part of the Small Business Association, the SBA. That's a department of the US government, and funded by you... the tax payer. There's a wide variety of classes... one will fill your business education needs. There are locations nationwide, and they're focused on small business development and assistance. That's just what you are looking for. Perfect! You can look them up online to find the location nearest you, and their phone numbers. Or you can click here to go to their home page.

SCORE!

Another place you can go to learn about starting and running your business is SCORE. That's the Service Corp Of Retired Executives. There's a vast amount of experience as well as formal business eduction in this group, and their mission is to share it with others. How cool is that? They offer mentoring, one-on-one counseling, and a wide assortment of classes. Classes aren't free but are fairly affordable. Again, check online to find out more. Here, I did it for you... click here to go to the SCORE home page.

Local Business Classes

Do you read your local newspaper? You should- (if you're lucky enough to still have one.) A hungry-entrepreneur needs to be aware of events that affect your business. My local newspaper has a business section, and it lists meetings and classes that different local business groups offer to the public or members. Some are pretty 'spendy', but some are low or even no cost.

You need to be ready to learn all the time, wherever information's available. It's important to keep your ears and eyes open to events in your own community.This is a great opportunity to do a little networking at the same time.

Get A Business Education Online

The final place I'd like to mention now is my current favorite... the internet. When you're serious about owning a business online or off, you'll need to be willing to invest a little money on books and classes sometimes. It's necessary if you want to learn about new ideas or techniques.

There are almost too-many webinars, seminars, and e-books offered on the internet to keep up with. You'll need to keep a close watch on your budget here, because they are are often expensive. But this is an easy way to receive either specialized business education or maybe 'mentoring' from that person that has gained the experience you want.

Because these are online, you can usually read or watch them whenever you have the time. And it's a good way to observe the way business on the internet works if you'd like to have a similar business.

Remember to use your common sense here, because anybody can call themselves experts online. Not everybody is an expert and not everybody has your best interest in mind when pitching their products to you. Online it's "buyers beware". So, beware. Spend your money wisely! Yeah, I know I sound like your mom. She was right!

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