These days, many small business owners across the country may think that their companies keep them too busy to pursue many outside interests, but experts often urge entrepreneurs to branch out a little bit so that they’re not so singularly focused. In fact, in many cases, they might be able to take their mind off their jobs by thinking about better ways in which they can actually do so in the future.
One of the smartest time-related investments owners can make in their business is to undergo training that might help them to run their companies better or more efficiently, according to a report from the Hutchinson News. When it comes to taking any kind of time away from their companies, though, small business owners might balk at the idea. These are people who take little to no vacation time every year, and who regularly put in 50 or 60 hours per week (or more) in running their firms. But time spent training is time spent improving as an entrepreneur.
The good news is that this kind of learning experience is often available to small business owners at little or no cost, the report said. The U.S. Small Business Administration runs its popular online Small Business Learning Center so that entrepreneurs can enroll in courses and workshops that can help them learn all kinds of information in short periods of time, and across many topics that might be vital to a firm’s ongoing success.
Where else can owners find help?
The SBA also has regional, real-world development centers that can serve much the same function, the report said. Further, local small business groups also exist in many parts of the country and may serve to provide similar services for member owners, helping them to better understand how they can more successfully run their companies and also potentially connect with other entrepreneurs. Often, a local Chamber of Commerce will serve as a good jumping-off point for finding this kind of group or service in an area.
Owners might also be able to improve their companies in other ways, such as by taking the time to find more affordable small business insurance. Cutting costs on commercial insurance, for instance, might go a long way toward bolstering a company’s bottom line, because doing so could end up saving them thousands of dollars per year.
