But what exactly is business knowledge?
As it turns out, it is the sum of experience, skillsets and industry insight which you gather through time. Now, some would say getting an MBA would be a good start. While we do agree that college is important, we also agree that it’s not key for someone’s success in business.
There are other sources of business knowledge that can shape you as a professional. However, one thing is for sure – you should never stop learning and upgrading your knowledge.
Books to increase your business knowledge
Even though you might be tempted to read motivational or business books, we suggest you don’t dwell too much on them. Of course, there are some pearls in the dust, but the majority are just not worth your time.
On the other hand, biographies, memoirs, and autobiographies of successful entrepreneurs and professionals have proven to be a gold mine for business knowledge. This is likely because they are based on true facts which means it’s not just empty words or theories.
Books every entrepreneur should read:
- Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
- Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
- The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau
- The Art of War by Sunzi
Podcasts
Although podcasts have been around for quite a while, it’s only in the most recent years that they’ve gained such popularity. So much so that it seems like everyone has a podcast these days. But despite the oversaturation, podcasts have proven to be a perfect source of knowledge for the busy, always-on-the move entrepreneur. You can play them whenever you want, whether while commuting, cooking or showering.
Below you’ll find a list of the top 5 podcasts in our opinion, but we strongly encourage you to do a research and find the best ones in your niche.
- Youpreneur hosted by Chris Ducker
- How I Built This hosted by Guy Raz
- Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders hosted by Stanford University
- Dorm Room Tycoon hosted by William Channer
- Ambitious Entrepreneur Show hosted by Annemarie Cross
Business News
Things shift momentarily. What was relevant yesterday doesn’t necessarily mean it would also be tomorrow. Hence, you need to stay up to date and follow the latest trends and happenings.
It may be that once TV and newspapers were the only sources of business news, but that’s not the case today. Online there’s a zillion websites, blogs, vlogs, and God knows what else. Find the ones which resonate with you the most and keep up with them. Actually, Feedly, a news aggregator app can help you “keep up with the topics and trends you care about, without the overwhelm”.
Business Events to gain more knowledge
Meetups, conferences, seminars, trade shows… More or less all of them are a priceless source or knowledge you could use to grow your business. Whether from the speakers or the people attending, you’ll have a plenty to learn.
Events are good because you no longer can hide behind the book and you have to put to practice what you’ve learned by now – for example, your communication skills.
If you can’t find any events near the place you live, you can always search for online events. After all, we live in the Internet age so there’s no excuse.
Oh, and if you live in or near London subscribe to our email list and we’ll send you a list of events every month.
Online Business Courses
This twist requires some investment, as writing services don’t create content for free, but it is worth it. Informal education is major right now, and courses are leading the way. Again, this can be done in-person and online as well, depends on your preferences, financial power and location.
Although in Enterprise League we all have college degrees, it’s no secret that we love us a good course! You can often find us on Udemy getting to the bottom of a topic that’s caused us trouble. It’s fair to say that courses, including entrepreneurship novels, helped us gain knowledge in areas we previously had no idea about.
Besides the above-mentioned online learning platform, here are three more we hold in high regards:
Mentor
You can read or listen to things but having a mentor to guide you through it all is much more effective. Before we continue encouraging you to find yourself a mentor, it’s also our duty to warn you that there are many people out there who call themselves mentors and business experts but are not worthy of the title.
This has to be a person you click with, someone who would be able to lead you to your goals with their advice.
Videos and TED talks
Watching videos of experts on stage, or even at their homes, sharing their experience with the world is a quite convenient way to learn a thing or two about business. Thanks to Youtube and their likes, you can find hours of video content available for free.
One thing is for sure, if TED talks can’t teach you how to do business, they can surely motivate you to accomplish your goals.
In person training
Practice
Unless you put to practice the things you’ve learned from the sources listed above, no matter how insignificant you think they might be, it’s all in vain. Humans learn best by trial and error, that’s a fact.
Once you start doing, you’ll be able to uncover things that no podcast or course can teach you. You’ll be your own teacher.
More must-read stories from Enterprise League:
- Unique and creative guerrilla marketing ideas for small businesses.
- Social media marketing for business: Weigh the pros and cons.
- Things to consider before deciding on a business location.
- The most important rules for success according to Jack Ma.
- Level up your business with these crucial entrepreneurial apps.
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