Look For Business Knowledge In Books!
If you're a "hungry entrepreneur", you should start getting the business knowledge you need by reading. I started looking for books about business and marketing when my skateboard retail business began to fail. It's easy to see now that I should have started studying before I signed my first lease. A trip to the book store or library would have been time and money well spent. My ignorance cost me dearly... or did it?
Well, yes and no. Failing was expensive and painful. But if I hadn't been forced to look for answers, I might never have been learned things that I use daily now. I only realized little I knew and how much I needed to learn after I was desperate to rescue my business.
If you're serious about owning a business, you should learn as much as you can before you get started. By the way, I'm not really talking to business school grads or experienced entrepreneurs here. You already know where and how to find what you need to know, I hope. This website, hungry-entrepreneur, is meant to be a guide for people like me. People that want to start a home based internet business but don't a formal education in business.
Read-Read-Read!
The most obvious place to find the business knowledge you need about your chosen business is by reading books. People have been writing for centuries, and although technology and laws may have changed, most principles about business have remained pretty much the same as they've always been. I have a reading list that I'd love to share with you.
Click here to see the business books I recommend.
And because there are so many business books that I've never even heard of yet, I hope you'll take the time to share some of your favorite titles with me!
This sounds expensive.
Maybe you think that you can't afford to spend money on books and classes. I say that you can't afford not to get the business knowledge you need. Ben Franklin said, "If a man empties his purse into his head, no one can take it away from him. An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." But you don't have to spend a fortune building your library. I have some money-saving suggestions for you.
Okay, where do you find these books?
- SAVE MONEY WITH USED BOOKS You can save a lot of money by shopping at used book stores or thrift stores. That's thrifty and "green"... Ben F. would approve! But there's a drawback with shopping for second-hand books. You don't have any control over the books that are available at any particular time. Even so, I usually find interesting business-related books each time I go shopping.
It's amazing how fast people get rid of the latest books. That's good news for us thrifty shoppers, isn't it? I'm building a pretty good library of reference books, one at a time, at a fraction of the cost of new books Each one is full of business knowledge to help me succeed. Isn't that great?
- KEEP A LIST OF BOOKS YOU'RE TRYING TO FIND! If you read or hear about an interesting book, write the title and author's name in a notebook or on a paper, and keep it with you while you're out shopping. That way you can pick it up when you find a copy.
*** A QUICK TIP to remember when you're looking at used books about computers or the internet. Be sure to check those book's copyright date. Technology changes way too fast to buy a book that's more than a few years old. You don't need obsolete or outdated business knowledge. Use your judgement about other topics too. Some of my favorite books about business are decades old, but some things never change.
- SHOP AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE if you are lucky enough to still have one. I like to support local independent bookstores (and other businesses) whenever possible. You should try to shop them first. If the book I need isn't available there, I head to the mega-store at the mall. (And treat myself to a coffee while there as a reward for working so hard!) But sometimes the book you're looking for is out of print. And sometimes your budget just won't let you buy another new book. To be honest, books are often a 'whole-lot-cheaper' online. Let your conscience be your guide about where you buy your books.
- HEAD ONLINE TO FIND MORE BOOKS. If shopping locally doesn't work for you, you'd better head to the internet. It's full of bookstores, both big and small, that would love your business.
While you're online, take time to search for business knowledge and information. Look on blogs, websites, and in written articles. I love the internet for research about business, marketing, and all sorts things. Just remember to check and double-check the facts. Make sure the business knowledge you get is accurate!
- REMEMBER YOUR PUBLIC LIBRARY! Most libraries have their catalogs available online. You can do a search to find the business book that you're looking for. Some libraries will even transfer your book, dvd or audio book to your local branch to make it more convenient to pick up. That's great service!
If there is a new book that you'd love to read but don't want to buy, get onto their waiting list. It can take a while sometimes, but with all the books to choose from, you'll be busy reading while you wait.
Make time to read!
WHO'S GOT TIME TO READ? Maybe some of you are thinking that you don't have time to read. Of course you're too busy. I understand. But you need to make getting the knowledge you need a priority! Find a 15 to 30 minute space of time daily that you could spare for reading. Even a little bit of time spent reading a business book every day is better than none at all. And all those "bits of time" add up!
Please use some of these suggestions. However you do it, learning what you need to know about your business is one of the most important things an entrepreneur can do. Sometimes it's the 'make or break' thing for your success!
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