THE FAILURE OF A GOOD BUSINESS EDUCATION

The ineffectiveness of a sound education non business, written by Marvell Lawson Where did the concept of launching and overseeing the effective operation of a firm originate? Is having a strong background in business essential to achieving success? Is the key just having prior experience in the field in which you want to compete? The essential issue is whether or not there are instances of people who have achieved success despite having no prior experience in business. Typically, one obtains background by completing coursework in business and studying the inner workings of various commercial organizations via hands-on experience. The foundation of a successful business is not built on a solid knowledge of business practices; rather, it is structured on a solid knowledge of communication and the practice of communicating effectively. This is the real reason why so many businesses fail within the first five years of their existence. Please don’t get the wrong idea. Having a strong understanding of business is very beneficial, but it is not even close to being the most important factor in running a profitable company. If this were the case, there would be a great deal more successful companies. The only thing you would need to do is read one or two business manuals out of the tens of thousands that are available, implement the instructions that are made in those books, and voila! You would have a prosperous and profitable company with very little mental or physical work at all on your part. How, exactly, has it worked out for so many people who have high hopes for the new enterprises that start each year? The fact of the matter is that business is not the cornerstone; rather, it is only a branch that originates from the real base. The true basis is open and honest communication. Every company is unique in its own way. Because of this, it may be quite irritating to attempt to fit your company into the niche that someone else has created for themselves. Because your circumstance is absolutely unique in comparison to that of every other firm that has come before yours, there will always be new problems that have not been resolved in the past. Maybe, but how you got here, what you think about the situation, and how you think it can be handled best are completely different from what every other business leader thinks or at least they should be. Similar? Maybe. But how you got here and what you think about the situation and how you think it can be handled best? You may be able to learn from instances of how other company managers have handled comparable situations; but, you should ask yourself whether or not those managers chose the best available solutions. What differentiates their issue from yours is how it manifests itself. In what ways is the environment different for doing business? Were they working for the same objectives that you are working on at the same time? This is the point in the process that you truly start to take ownership of, or responsibility for, your company. Get a job working for someone else if you’re not ready for that kind of responsibility. How many people who graduate from business schools go on to create and successfully operate their own businesses or to become powerful corporate leaders in their respective fields? The most of them, if not all of them, spend their whole working lives in the employ of another person. That is not a negative thing at all; rather, it is a choice. There is a certain kind of individual who is best suited to launch and manage a successful small company. They may learn how to establish their own enterprises and run them effectively by reading a few books and paying attention to the world of business that is all around them every day. Communication is the skill that will be beneficial to you regardless of the kind of company you create or run. A minor in business can be beneficial, but if you are a good manager, why not hire someone to do the necessary business work such as accounting, clerical work, government policy, sales and marketing, finance, purchasing, office management, janitorial work, information technology, strategic planning, and all the other jobs you need done to start and keep your business going? When are you going to find the time to do the things that you are excellent at, the things that you enjoy to do, and the things that you want to spend your time doing? Who makes the last call when it comes to determining the structure of your company? your guide, your advisor, your legal counsel, your financial advisor, or you yourself? Have you set aside enough time to educate yourself on all of the facets of running a company that will contribute to your success? What if you could learn to communicate effectively with others so that you could get what you want out of life? What if you learned where to seek for the information you need, how to collect that information, and how to convey it to the proper people who will make the judgments and take the action that will drive your organization along the road that would ultimately lead to its success? The purpose of communication is to collect valuable information, translate it, spread it, and use it in order to achieve the goals you have set for yourself. No matter the path you choose to take in life, getting a good education is essential to your success. Consider the following: • what do I want to achieve? • what information do I need to acquire in order to achieve my objective? • how will I utilize a communication system to receive and send the necessary information in order to complete my task? • How will I ensure that the information is kept up to date throughout time? • who will be responsible for putting the communication system into action as well as managing it? It is not what is taught in the courses that leads to the failure of a decent business education. It is the premise upon which the construction of a successful firm is based, making it the foundation on which the premise is created. A lady who was there at the networking event that I went to keeps popping into my head. She was just getting her company off the ground and realized that she would need assistance. She discovered that soliciting counsel was not only uncostly but also overwhelming. She had the option of going to school, which didn’t seem like it would help her accomplish what she was trying to do, or she could… …and that was the question that she had. if not, what? She was so upset that it brought tears to her eyes, yet she managed to break down and say, “I don’t know where to go to acquire the knowledge I need.” It seems like everyone has a different story to tell me. Who should I put my faith in? How can I make up my mind? Yes, she had problems with her company, but more importantly, she had problems with how she communicated with others. She had no idea what questions to ask, where to get the answers, or how to tap into the communication system that would have shown her what her available choices were. Neither did she know what questions to ask or where to discover the answers. It is not as important to have a certain level of education in order to establish and operate a company as it is to be able to articulate to yourself what it is that you want to achieve, and then to construct a strategy by asking the appropriate questions and obtaining the answers to those questions. recognizing, of course, that the questions are always shifting, and that there is a wide variety of possible responses to each inquiry; yet, these responses are also always shifting. Your education does not originate from any other organization or institution. However, education is merely a guideline that the serious student has to follow up on in their own time. School may provide an overview of various fields of study and different avenues to explore; however, education is only an overview. The true education starts and finishes with you…always with you. School is merely the beginning of your educational journey. You are the one who makes the choices and establishes the new rules for commercial success. Communication is the instrument that will be of assistance to you in making such selections. Communication is the driving force behind the success of your company. The ability to communicate effectively is the key to turning what you know about business into actionable steps. Without proper communication, it is impossible to run a successful company. Education is continuous; one must devote 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and all year round to it. The most crucial aspects to consider are what an education gives you, what you need to be successful, and how this information is conveyed to you. upcoming author of a book titled “small business superstar speaking secrets.” professional speaker and communication coach that works with people and companies who want to be able to successfully give winning speeches and presentations with self-confidence; and communicate more effectively to expand their company, earn more money, and gain professional reputation. You may reach us at 303.947.0962, marvell@centerforinformationdesign.com, or on our website at www.centerforinformationdesign.com.