How many times have you heard that “life is short”? I’d be willing to guess that the answer is multiple times throughout your life. And while it may be a cliche thing to say, it’s true. Life is simply too short to get everything done. So little time, so much to do.
Take me, for example. There are so many things that I want to do. I want to build businesses. I want to learn how to code, and then use that coding to build stuff. I want to travel and build relationships . . . The list could go on. There came a point where I realised that I couldn’t accomplish all of those things if I didn’t find helpful shortcuts so that I could be as efficient as possible.
Luckily, I did end up finding some shortcuts, and now I pretty much get to do all the things I love, simply because I focused on improving my business skills and business knowledge! Are you jealous yet? Well, don’t be, because I’m going to walk you through exactly how I accomplished this and how you can also learn important business skills quickly.
P.S. I also have a whole YouTube video dedicated to this, so if you’d prefer watching that rather than reading a post, click here!
Categories of learning
Let’s start by breaking down a few ways that you can learn new skills quickly.
Do it yourself
While there are certainly a few things you should never DIY, learning is one area where hacking away at it yourself can be greatly beneficial! Whatever you want to do – whether that’s learning to code or improving upon your personal skills – set aside some time each week to learn.
This is one of the most fun ways to learn because you’re essentially just playing around. You’re testing new things, watching videos, and fiddling. And in the process, you get to build the foundation of a new business skill!
Of course, this isn’t the best method of learning for super intense skills, but it can be great for soft skills.
Use other resources
We’re fortunate enough to live in a world where we have a wealth of information at our fingertips, so don’t be afraid to use it! Listen to podcasts, and read books (or, if you don’t have time to sit and read, get an Audible subscription so that you can listen to audiobooks!)
These are just a few examples of how you can absorb the learnings of really experienced professionals, and they will give you a taste of how you can start to get mentoring for a particular skill set. Think of your brain as a sponge, absorbing everything you learn about leadership skills.
Have a solid community
The business world is cutthroat, and you won’t be able to make it if you’re all on your own. Even lions, the kings of the jungle, require a solid pride, so find your own pride, or tribe, or community . . . It doesn’t matter what you call it, but you need to have a support system.
And the best way of achieving this is to go to group sessions. This way, you get actual advice from a seasoned professional, and you also get to meet like-minded people. It’s a win-win! You can also go to business school or join online courses. Not only will this help you to learn valuable skills like leadership skills, but it will also assist you with wider skills such as interpersonal skills.
One-on-one coaching
The last method I’m going to talk about just so happens to be the one I’d recommend the most, and that is one-on-one coaching. If you truly want to learn new skills and shortcut your way to success, this is the way to go. After all, if you want to improve your management skills and business knowledge, you need to learn from other business professionals.
I myself have found that one-on-one coaching has transformed my life. I’ve learned new skills, gained a deeper understanding of things, and skipped over thousands of mistakes that would have become obstacles in my quest for greatness. Every coach I’ve worked with has taught me skills that have stuck with me long since I’ve moved on from their services.
Finding a reliable mentor in the same industry as you will help you in countless ways, which is why I’m going to be doing a bit of a deep dive into one-on-one coaching in this post. One-on-one coaching is like an onion – it’s got layers. And today, we’re going to peel back those layers and get really upfront and personal with it.
So, why coaching?
Look, I don’t expect you to read through a blog post without knowing if it’s worth your time. And you may be thinking that one-on-one coaching isn’t for you, so reading this post would be a waste of time and effort. To be frank, you’d be wrong, and I’m going to share why. Hopefully, once you understand the multitude of ways that coaching can change your life, you’ll be more on board with the idea.
Coaching fast-tracks your learning
The whole point of this post is to help you figure out how to learn helpful business skills fast, and the best way of doing that is to get a coach. Sure, teaching yourself is great, but it’s going to take a lot longer than if you were to spend time with a professional coach.
Think about it – all the top people in their industries have mentors and coaches. You won’t find a number-one athlete without a coach, so in the sport that is climbing the business ladder, you also need to have a coach.
You get to learn from a professional
In case you haven’t realised by now, coaching allows you to work with someone who has years of professional experience. Not only will they be able to tell you what to do and how to do it, but they likely have a bunch of industry tips, tricks, and secrets up their sleeves that I can guarantee you won’t find on the internet.
Plus, a coach will immediately get to the point without you having to wade through pages of nonsense on the internet. They have a wealth of business knowledge, so take advantage of that by learning as many new business skills as you can!
You’ll learn transferable skills
While coaching may take up some time and money initially, it’s an investment, because the knowledge you gain will last with you forever. And I know this for a fact, because I’ve experienced it firsthand. Before starting my ad agency, Snowball Creations, I had an ecotourism business. And before that, I was working in sales.
The negotiation skills that I learned during my sales job helped me to get investments for my ecotourism business. The financial management skills that I learned while running my first business ended up helping me create my current business. Do you see how it’s the circle of life?
Every time you work with a coach and learn a new skill, you’re adding another small block, and soon, you’ll have a giant Lego castle made up of the different skills taught by your different coaches.
Coaches can help with more than just your business
The thing about running a business is that it’s never really just about a business. It’s going to affect all areas of your life. When you’re pouring all your time and energy into a business, the business itself may do well, but other areas in your life will likely be neglected.
Maybe you don’t have the time or motivation to go to the gym. So, get a fitness coach. Maybe your life is just a bit of a mess, and you need some help sorting it out. Get a life coach. The point is that everything is connected – your life, your relationships, your health and your work – so working on areas that you struggle with will ultimately help everything balance better.
Yes, there are important business skills that will help your business development, but things like management skills, and more specifically, financial management skills, can help you in all areas of your life!
How to use coaching
Hopefully, by now I’ve convinced you that one-on-one coaching to help you improve your business skills is a great solution, but that’s not going to be much help if you don’t know what to do next. It would be like giving you a car if you don’t know how to drive. Well, get ready for your first lesson, because I’m going to quickly run through three key steps that will help you not only get a coach but use that coach’s services to help you learn your new business skills.
Step 1: find a coach
Obviously, the first step would be to find a coach who can help you reach your goals. You need to have a coach that you get along with so that you can build a good working relationship, but you also need a coach who will push you and give you some tough love when you need it. But how do you get a coach?
Use online platforms
A great way of finding a coach is to use online platforms. There are platforms specifically designed to help you find coaches, so you should use them!
For example, I find my coaches using Coach Vox, which is essentially a one-stop shop for people wanting to find coaches. They have all types of coaches, from lifestyle coaches to fitness coaches to business coaches and more. There’s a coach for everyone, and getting a decent coach is your first step towards professional development.
Use trusty old Google
Most of us run to Google the moment we have a question that needs answering, so why should it be any different when you’re looking for a coach? Simply look up coaches near you or coaches that have experience in the field you need help with. Boom. Problem solved.
A bit of advice that I will always share is to go into this with a short-term view. Try a coach out for a bit, and if you feel like they’re a good fit and you’re getting value out of your money, you can keep working with them. The reason for this is simply that Google is an open source and some people may pretend to be coaches when really, they’re just scammers. So, stay safe out there, and always use common sense! If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Chat to your network
Remember earlier when I was going on about how important it is to have a community? Now you can see why. We go to our friends for movie recommendations, or when we want new restaurant ideas for date nights. To put it differently: we trust our inner circles to steer us in the right direction.
So, if you have friends who use coaching services, talk to them about it! Find out who they would recommend (and who they wouldn’t), ask about their experiences, and learn how they made coaching work for them. The people around you can be a wealth of information, you just need to ask.
Step 2: the money
If you’re looking for a cheap way to learn business skills fast, coaching probably isn’t the best option. But it’s effective, so if you ask me, it’s worth it. And if you want to learn the most important business skills, this will be the best way of doing so.
A good coach can ask a pretty steep hourly fee, but don’t think about this as you paying for coaching services – think about this money that you spend as being an investment. It’s part of your business strategy, and it’s what will make your business succeed.
After all, that’s what it is. Sure, you may spend a few hundreds or thousands on the coaching sessions themselves, but the knowledge and expertise you gain from those sessions can go on to make you millions. You could start your own business. Or grow your current one. The options are endless!
Respect your coach’s experience
Speaking of money . . . A key thing I want to mention here is that you need to respect your coach. Now is not the time to drive a hard bargain and put your negotiation skills to the test. Many coaches charge higher fees because that’s what their knowledge is worth. You’re not just paying for their time, but also for their years of experience.
They put in the work and did the research so that they can teach you. Respect their fees, and if you can’t afford it, look for another coach.
Step 3: be a good student
You also need to commit. If you do your coaching for a month or two, you’ll have some basic knowledge, but not enough to really make a difference. Around six months is when this will change.
Also, you need to do what your coach tells you! Sitting and listening to what they tell you isn’t much use if you’re not going to implement it. That’s like me listening to a personal trainer about which workout program I should do, but never actually doing it.
Ask questions. Don’t be afraid to look geeky or sound stupid. You need to get as much as possible from your coaching sessions, so interact and be curious!
A final word on coaching
If, by some miracle, you’re still not convinced to try coaching, then I really need to work on my sales skills. But I have one final thing I want to say about coaching that people don’t often talk about.
Yes, coaching can be life-changing for your business, but it also offers so much more than that. Through coaching, you will make friends who will become part of your life. You will talk about more than just work – you’ll have real conversations and real relationships. And I know this, because that’s been my experience.
In conclusion
I hope that this post has given you some insight into multiple ways that you can start learning business skills fast! More specifically, I hope that it’s demonstrated how effective coaching can be when it comes to your business.
You also need to keep in mind that, while you may be able to learn the basics of a skill fast, mastering it can take years. It’s a continuous process because there’s always more to learn and more to improve upon.
I hope you found this post helpful, and if you’re eager to hear more about my views and experiences, please subscribe to my YouTube channel!