When you’re starting a business you’re usually eager to get your hands on every book and online business course available to help you get started. Unfortunately, there comes a time when buying yet another business course can actually be impeding your progress.
I know because I’ve been guilty of this myself. I spent much of my first two years as a full-time solopreneur reading and taking online courses. I felt like I just needed to know everything so that I could run a successful business.
At some point I started scratching my head as I looked around wondering why I wasn’t making any money. Fortunately, it didn’t take long for me to figure out that the reason I wasn’t making money is because I was too busy taking courses. I was too busy looking to other people for guidance instead of implementing what I’d learned.
Of course, there is something to be said for education as an entrepreneur. Sometimes it really is necessary to take a course in an effort to save time and move forward in your business. Here are some ways you can decide whether or not it’s time to buy another online business course.
Is it actually going to save you time?
Online courses can save you time (and money) in the long run if you invest wisely. One example of how buying another course can actually help is if it’s teaching you something you actually need to know right now.
In this case it’s important to get clear on what your needs are before you buy another online course. You can start by asking yourself, what is the one thing I need to know right now?
Note, that if you still haven’t implemented anything from the previous online courses you’ve taken, that this strategy won’t actually work. In fact, it will likely have the opposite effect because you’re just avoiding work by taking another class.
Do the numbers work out?
Another way to determine whether or not you should buy another online business course is to crunch the numbers and see if the investment makes sense mathematically.
For example, I recently bought a course about Pinterest for $97. Pinterest was the next phase of my marketing plan and quite frankly I didn’t have the time to scour the internet for free information.
Since my usual project rate is far more than the $97 price tag, it made more sense for me to just pay for the class and save myself valuable time I could instead put toward getting another client. Even if I’d landed just one new client – which was definitely feasible – the class would have been more than paid for.
Will taking another online business course get in the way of your current business projects?
When deciding whether or not you should buy another online it’s important to consider how much time it’s going to take fromyour business projects.
For example, are you in the middle of implementing something else you’ve learned from online courses? Then it’s probably not a good idea to add more things to your list. Are you in the middle of a massive project like a rebrand? Also probably not a good time to take another online business course.
The key to investing in online business courses effectively is to do it strategically. It doesn’t make sense to try and do multiple things at once as this usually leads to failures in implementation. It’s also a surefire way to mismanage your time.
Final Thoughts
While there is certainly a time and a place for taking an online business course, you must first consider the timing and the monetary investment. This is the only way to ensure you will get the most out of the course so you can actually implement what you learn.
