I recall a discussion with a business owner who had worked for a ‘big 4’ accounting consulting firm. She was paid extraordinarily well to tell people how to improve the operations of their own business, and was flabbergasted by how little she actually understood about running a business, and how much she learned during the first few years.
Does it feel like this for you? As you run your own business are you constantly learning, unlearning and relearning? Do you enjoy this?
The practical side of running a business unfortunately does not always follow the theoretical teachings of business school or books. This is one of the main reasons I wrote my book Learn Small Business Start-Up in 7 Days. To share the realities of what I have seen and experienced while working with small business owners.
You will be overwhelmed, yet hopefully stimulated by how much you will learn and experience in the early days of running your business. Personally I relish the opportunity of continual learning while running my business.
What do you wish you had known before starting your business?
- I wish I had known how long a day was when you are a small business owner!
- I wish I had set up a dedicated office space for myself as soon as I started out.
- I wish I had not wasted so much time thinking about branding! (sorry to all those marketing folk!)
- I wish I had the crystal ball that some clients assume I had!