The logistics associated with starting your own business leave little time or energy for anything else, including keeping up with current trends and developments in your industry. Start-up founders get very often get so wrapped up in the day-to-day minutiae of getting their businesses off the ground that they can lose site of staying on cutting edge of the industry and the profession that made it all possible. The more lax we get in continuing our professional education; however, the less effective we’re going to be in comparison with our competitors. How, then, do we make sure that we’re staying up to date with current regulations and developments in our industry while operating our own full-time enterprises?
First, we can create a culture that values education and continued training. Education does not have to mean more collegiate-level courses; it can be something as simple as watching a weekly webinar, attending important tradeshows and growing your list of contacts and resources to facilitate expansion. If you foster an emphasis on ongoing training in your own company, you will be compelled to lead by example and ultimately wind up enriching our own education, whether we mean to or not. Whether you pay for your employees to go to training seminars or you set aside a few hours per week for in-house professional development, continuing education is possible for any business.
Placing an emphasis on education directly translates to things like certification, competency measures, increased knowledge and subsequent company expansion. It also lets your employees, your competitors and, most importantly your customers, know that you’re committed to a legacy of excellence in your industry, no matter how new you are to the party. Learning is a lifetime endeavor which, in the business world as the power to manifest into actual tangible results; it’s the best and most direct way to go above and beyond in your industry.
