30 Jul Life long learning in business

How do you keep your skills updated in your business? Do you read blogs online and network at Chamber of Commerce functions? Do you engage in learning programs such as Udemy or Linda courses? Or do you study formally at university to keep your knowledge and skills updated? All of these options are worthwhile. While you might spend a lot of time working in your business, you might not prioritise time to work ON your business.

Learning is worth the investment of time

Uni goes back for the second semester next week. Although I am excited about learning more skills that will be useful in my business, I was kind of enjoying having the whole week to work on client work. I used the time to catch up on some projects and start some new ones, with new clients.

Nonetheless, learning new skills in your business, puts you in a competitive position. This can increase your capacity to find new clients, and develop new business. It can also grow your bottom line, if you are learning marketing or sales skills.

Studying can also enhance your confidence, as you get on top of other areas of professional development. You will gain the opportunity to network with other like minded professionals. If you are studying at university, you will have access to an extensive library of resources that would otherwise be closed. All those journals and business resources can really help to develop your knowledge about your industry. They can help identify your competition and the environment in which your business operates.

What are some of your options for free and paid learning opportunities?

No matter what business you are in, learning is never wasted. If you choose the right course, all the hard work that you put into your studying will pay off in dividends.

For casual learning opportunities, Udemy provide a great range of courses in all sorts of different subject matter. They very often have special deals, where you can get courses up to 40 % off the full price. So it is worth signing up to their newsletter. I have learnt a lot about user experience design, Adwords and web development through Udemy.

Coursera, is another great online study opportunity. Their courses are free, and hosted by many prestigious universities. They offer courses on subjects as diverse as language courses, human anatomy and of course great business courses. I did a social media course and digital marketing course through Coursera and it was very worthwhile.

There are so many opportunities, both free and paid to increase your skills and knowledge in the areas of your business. If you are too time poor to engage in some of these studies, you can always find people who are knowledgeable in these areas and will help to consult with you on the finer matters of business, marketing and web development.