Does any of these scenarios sound familiar?
You have great ideas and you want to start your own business. Decide on your business name, work on your business plan, talk to family and friends, build a website, order business cards, and read everything you can about starting a business. Except for this, it’s now six months now, but I haven’t started yet!
Or, you’ve been in business for a while, but technology continues to change. First, you learned how to manage your email campaigns and your website, but now you need to learn about Twitter, Instagram, blogs, SEO and more. Plus, your profession skills continue to change. If you can relate to these stories, you are not alone.
Whether you’re just starting out or you’ve been in business for years, it’s easy to feel like you’re behind. As the founder of Apppo (An association of individual photo organizers), I always see this. Many of our members are just starting out in business and are caught up in “it has to be a complete syndrome.” Meanwhile, experienced members can get frustrated as they keep up with the rapidly changing technology.
Here is their story and you can apply their learning principles to your business.
Kim and Tamara met while volunteering and organizing several large-scale fundraisers in the community. They quickly discovered mutual love for many: art, shoes, knitting, cycling. They started Pixelwinx, the photography organising and design business, as the next step in their creative partnership.
What problems have you faced as a new entrepreneur?
At first I wanted to plan and grasp everything. We spent a lot of time on our website and created packaging and pricing. I would have planned forever. Kim pushed me to take a leap of faith and launch. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Do that and spend time working with clients to gain experience and education.
What tools and resources are you using to solve the problem?
When in doubt, google IT! If you have a question, someone else probably already has it. We like YouTube because we are both visual learners and want to see the solutions. Don’t reinvent the wheels. Find answers online via websites, forums, YouTube and more, sign up for our newsletter and follow the site on social media. There’s always something to learn!
Share a specific example of time that solved a business problem.
We were working on a slideshow with our client, and she had at least 20 old phones and had pictures she wanted to access. The devices included iPhone, iPod, Flip Phone and Blackberries. We’ve never done anything like this before and it was an important learning curve. I had to track my old passwords, investigate connecting obsolete phones, find memory card readers and charging codes for my old phone. In conclusion, I didn’t know how to do my job at first, but I was able to put together my work by searching the internet, talking to mobile phone providers, and visiting the Apple Store and local camera stores.
Related Content: 6 Ways to Move Your Business
What advice can you give to people who feel caught up in or threatened by a lack of knowledge?
Don’t be afraid. You can’t know everything. Use resources such as friends, teenagers, websites, YouTube, forums, social media and more. I promise to learn something new once a month. It takes time to feel comfortable with a new venture.
Barb Wees has been a two-family entrepreneur for over 20 years, focusing on the financial aspects of his business, keeping everything organized and flowing smoothly. She recently decided to add a photo organisation to her business.
Share a specific example of time you learned something new.
A year ago, I used the entire course with QuickBooks to update my accounting and bookkeeping knowledge. I also wanted to fully understand the “behind the scenes” of money issues for businesses. Even if you decide to have the bookkeeper maintain this aspect of the business side, I think it’s important to have a detailed understanding of your accounting.
What tools and resources do you use to solve business problems?
It’s important to be organized and systematic, but allow yourself to be creative. Most importantly, you understand that you don’t have to invent the wheels or do everything yourself. Don’t hesitate to ask other business owners for their opinions or advice.
What advice would you give to someone who feels stuck or threatened by a lack of knowledge?
In general, being an entrepreneur is not for the faint hearted person. You need to decide: is this a hobby or business? There are countless ways to reach out and get help. We recommend meeting groups, networking groups, business coaches, books, blogs, magazines, online or university courses, conferences, SBA (Small Business Association) and Score (business professionals who volunteer their time to help people in business), library programs, and community education classes.
I think the most important issue for solo entrepreneurs is to keep them up to date with new trends. You should wear “many hats” needed for business and be ready to change each hat as needed. Lazyness is not part of the formula for success. Being an owner of a small business requires dedication, determination, courage and a lot of effort.
A common theme in both of these interviews is the willingness to seek information and training from other sources. Today there are many ways to add to your knowledge base. The only thing you need to do is explore and take action for immediate resources.