Trying to Make it As An Entrepreneur? 5 Ways to Up Your Business Game and Gain Experience

If you decided to launch your own business and have relied heavily on your passion for the industry, or your strong work ethic, you likely feel a little inexperienced. Plenty of entrepreneurs get their business started with very limited business experience, however, eventually this will catch up to you. If you have started your own business and are quickly learning that you're in over your head, there are still ways to gain business experience without going to business school. If your business is already off the ground, you'll have to catch up quickly, but once you start to learn the ropes, your business will benefit greatly from your knowledge. If you're a new entrepreneur looking for ways to up your business game and gain some real-world experience, read on for a few ideas to help you learn the ropes before it is too late.

Find a Business Mentor

If you know a lot about the industry you're in, or a lot about the specific product or service your business offers, the only thing your lacking is a working knowledge of business structures and plans. If you can find someone who is willing to mentor you on the business-side of things, it will keep you from making any serious mistakes. Having someone to give you professional advice about the direction to take your business will come in handy as your business grows and the needs of your business exceed your expertise. If you have a close friend or family member who has made it big in the business world, they might be willing to mentor you, or perhaps you can pay someone who would be interested in mentoring you for a fee. Another option is to find someone with sound business sense to become a partner in your company—this way they can handle the business side of things until you get it figured out.

Join a Business Networking Group

Finding a business mentor would be great, but it isn't always that easy. If you can't find a single person to mentor you in your business endeavors, you can join a networking group. Many major cities have business networking groups you can join to connect with like-minded professionals. These may be local chamber of commerce groups or nationwide organizations such as Toastmasters. It is worthwhile to join a group like this not only so you can make potentially useful contacts, but also to gain some advice and experience in the areas where you are lacking. There will be people in the group who are more experienced than you are, and their example will help you avoid critical mistakes within the first years of your business as well as give you ideas of how to adapt and grow.

Take Business Classes Online

Many of the top business schools in the world now offer courses online. In most cases, you can take as many classes as you want without having to commit to a full degree program. These classes are convenient and often very affordable, putting you in touch with top business minds. If you've already started running your business, you don't have time to go back and get your business degree, but you can greatly benefit from the knowledge you would gain from taking business courses. Some entrepreneurs have pursued an online degree at Brandeis University in project management in order to learn more about business strategies, management, and protocol while they are getting their business off the ground. If you think it is too late to get a formal education in business, think again! There are plenty of resources that will allow you to learn about business in a classroom setting, online classes is only one of them.

Join Professional Associations

If you are traveling the entrepreneurial path, you're not the first one to do so. Plenty of entrepreneurs have come before you and experienced both failure and success. Many national professional associations offer online communities and valuable conferences where you can learn how others started their businesses. Associations like this offer helpful forums that provide a wealth of information and advice if you're just getting started with your business. Finding a business association in your area will be a huge boon to you as you try to navigate the waters of entrepreneurship with limited experience.

Read Professional Publications

When it comes to business, it’s a good idea to read constantly! Subscribe to newspapers, major magazines and newsletters from associations in your industry. Never miss an opportunity to read while traveling or enjoying some downtime. Many of the greatest business minds of today have reported starting each day with a heavy dose of reading. Aside from keeping you up to date, constantly reading business publications will help you learn jargon and concepts that you might not have heard of before, but that are essential to know about if you plan to run a business. You can get caught up quickly on subjects you don't know much about by reading these professional publications and taking a few notes from the pros. Plenty of these magazines and newsletters are designed specifically for entrepreneurs like you who are looking to take any advice they can get, so take advantage of the resources available to you.

Inspired yet? You should be! When it comes to developing business skills, you’ve never had more options than you do today. Following just one of the suggestions above can put you on the path to growing your company. Many businesses fail because the owner is inexperienced, but mostly because the inexperienced owner doesn't take the initiative to learn things that could have saved the business. It's true that the more experience you have, the better you will be at running a business, however, these things are easy to learn as you go. It can be tough to catch up, but you won't have any success unless you make a conscious effort to figure it out. There are plenty of resources available for the inexperienced entrepreneur today, so take advantage of the information available to you and start upping your business game and get some experience!