I don’t have a self improvement category on this blog because I think (or at least hope!) the vien of self improvement runs throughout. I think if you are reading this, you either appreciate my quest towards self improvement or you constantly work towards self improvement yourself.
My friend Jessica told me about a series of seminars being given at our local community college called The Basics Of Starting A Business. This morning is the last morning but the three week course has forced me to learn more about the business behind writing.
Now I may have three bachelors degrees but I have never taken a business course. (Though, don’t get me wrong, a geology major and being able to speak French together have been pretty fun at parties, and have collectively gotten me where I am.) I have not been implicated in my family’s hardware business. In short, no knowledge and not much experience in business.
I have, however, always enjoyed jobs where I could set my own goals and schedule. In those environments, I have worked hard and really thrived. Also I’ve always wanted to write and be paid for it. Launching a part-time freelance business seems like a logical thing for me to be doing. I figured a free seminar may help keep me on track and working towards really doing this.
The class is being given by Women, Work, and Community, though even if this organization isn’t in your area, you should try local community colleges and business women’s organizations for possible resources like this. The series of three seminars and three hours at a time and have forced me to do things like finally buy a shorter domain name (Read more about the changeover to Breaking Even, Inc. here.) and figure out how much I should charge people for my work (if you’re a freelance writer, here’s a good collection of links I happened upon about how much to charge).
Essentially, the course is forcing me to write a business plan. It is also forcing me to meet other people in the area starting their own businesses that I would have not otherwise met. I know I could go online and find a web page on it but having to have homework done is making me finally put things on paper.
I hope you take advantage of free education opportunities where you live. (Not that I’m biased or anything but a good place to start is your local paper’s community calendar.) Many free cultural and learning opportunities probably exist that you never even knew about. Keep learning always; your mind (and perhaps eventually your wallet) will thank you.