The Productive Entrepreneur

Learn by Teaching

During the past few days, I've focused on the traditional, standard way to learn - take a class. But let's turn that around for a minute and imagine YOU as the class leader. Another incredible opportunity to learn and grow is to teach a class.

Being a successful entrepreneur makes you an expert in your trade, whether you are a cook, photographer, writer, mechanic, web designer, financial advisor, or business strategist. Why not share your knowledge with others who have the same passion for your interests. Your business will certainly benefit. Consider these opportunities:

• Gain new knowledge as you research and prepare lessons
• Sharpen interpersonal and even customer relations skills by interacting with students and other instructors
• Network with other instructors and professionals as you seek to bring new information to your class
• Earn credentials for your business as you establish yourself as an expert in your field
• Attract publicity for your business - your students will be great "word-of-mouth" advertisers
• Receive feedback and gain new insight from your students through discussions and presentations
• Practice your public speaking skills
• Enjoy talking about what you do best!

If this list appeals to you, contact your local community college to see what opportunities are available. There may also be seminar opportunities available through your local Chamber of Commerce, NAWBO chapter, independent business association, or professional organization.

Or, try creating a seminar or workshop of your own. Publicize to local business owners, business groups, church organizations, non-profits, colleges and universities, and others that fit your ideal student profile. The possibilities are endless, as they say!

Need help developing an idea? That's what I do! Not only do I conduct and market my own workshops and retreats, but I can also help entrepreneurs plan something that not only meets their comfort level, but also works to advance and develop their businesses. Send me an e-mail or give me a call, and we can chat about your thoughts.

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals. 

Taking a Big Educational Step

While it's beneficial and relatively easy to take a class or two on the Internet, you may have bigger, more formal educational goals on the horizon. If you are toying with the idea of pursuing a Bachelors or Masters degree, the Internet is a great place to start your research.

You may have the ability to seek out the best program at your dream school. By all means, go for it. But if other commitments have restricted your adventurous side, then start your research with a local college or university to see what they have to offer. So many programs today cater to the working professional with a family, offering day, evening, and on-line classes.

If attending classes in person isn't an option, investigate the on-line programs complied at www.elearners.com. This site offers links to a variety of accredited universities that allow you to pursue your degree completely on-line. Again, they are designed to fit into the already hectic schedules of busy professionals, and they offer you the chance to challenge yourself and see your potential in a new way.

Committing to an on-line degree program takes a lot of thought and consideration. The tuition will rival that of traditional classroom degree programs, but financial aid may be available. The time involvement will also be huge. But, if you are the type of person who can stay motivated, enjoys working on you own, and embraces technology, earning your degree from a reputable on-line university is a great option.

Before you go this route, be sure to talk to others who have participated in on-line classes, visit with admission counselors, and honestly assess your learning style. Some people learn better in a traditional classroom, and if that's you, on-line classes may prove frustrating.

Indeed, accomplishing this goal while trying to remain a successful, productive entrepreneur will take true dedication and commitment, but the rewards for your business and the sense of accomplishment for yourself are worth their weight in gold!

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals.   

More On-line Learning Opportunities

Sometimes we feel like we have a pretty good handle on things, but realize that if we had a little formal instruction or help from someone else, we could probably discover some tricks and procedures to make things less complicated. And that would make us more productive.

On-line classes can provide those opportunities. They are often short, self-paced, and relatively inexpensive. A good investment if you know that the skill you are going to learn will help you become more efficient and eventually lead to increased revenues.

While they aren't full-fledged college courses, they do offer a little more structure by providing knowledgeable instructors and homework assignments at a low cost to you.

www.ed2go.com - Classes range from computers to writing, personal enrichment to professional development. If you're curious about how an on-line class works, this would be a great, low-risk way to try it out. Lots of focus on business-related topics, such as entrepreneurship, starting a business, accounting, legal issues, and project management.

www.eclasses.org - Offers 50 on-line classes led by instructors. Most are related to computers and technology, with classes about the Web, programming, design, and search engine optimization.

Another source of great educational information and recommendations is a trade or interest group. For example, the International Web Masters Association offers web design classes at a discounted rate to its members. It's worth getting involved in an organization related to your profession to see what might be available to help you develop your skills.

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals. 

On-line Learning Resources

These days, opportunities to learn new skills abound. Many are right at your fingertips, conveniently available on the Internet, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are, of course, hundreds of online degree programs (some reputable, some not) and a host of accredited college and universities that offer online courses for their students. But there are also a number of other classes that don't require an admissions process, or even a fee. Here are just a few of those resources related to computers and software that may peak your interest and inspire you to pursue a new talent:

HP Online Classes - Check out this site for online classes to learn about PC security, digital photography, disaster preparedness, genealogy, wireless computing, and digital entertainment.

Microsoft - Microsoft offers many free self-paced training courses to help you learn the ins and outs of their products, including, Word, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint, and Outlook.

Lynda.com - If you are interested in learning more about the software you are using, Lynda.com has an extensive list of online training videos. You can learn at your own pace in the convenience of your own home or office. There is a fee for full access, but the site also offers free access to over 3,800 movie tutorials over 450 training courses, so there is ample opportunity to experience the quality before paying.

Teachmeit.com - A comprehensive repository for online courses offering high quality, state-of-the-art IT and business related e-learning trainings and courses. It offers over 250 courses for individuals. There is a fee for each course, but you have a chance to view a demo before signing-up. This site even offers classes that will help you get certified in Microsoft software, A+, and Network +.

There are many other ways to learn on-line. I'll be adding more resources throughout the next week. Be sure to check back to find one that is just right for you!

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals.

What Will You Discover in Your Pursuits?

Did you know that some of the most common products around today were actually discovered unexpectedly? For instance...

Coca Cola was discovered in 1886 by doctor and pharmacist John Pemberton. He developed a syrup elixir by mixing leaves of the South American plant coca with the African nuts cola, creating a remedy intended to relieve stress, weariness, and toothaches. However, when a drugstore in Atlanta accidentally opened the wrong tap and diluted the syrup mixture with soda water instead of tap water, Coca-Cola was born. Today, the soda is produced and consumed in 200 countries.

Post-It Notes developed after Spencer Silver, a researcher with 3M (the makers of Scotch Tape), tried to make an even stickier adhesive tape. Through his experiments, he created a thick, sticky substance that did not absorb into surfaces, and he knew it would never be useful for tape. Luckily, Spencer's colleague later realized this sticky goo could be used to hold bookmarks in his hymnal without damaging the pages. And, voila! Since 1980, we've had Post-it Notes!

The microwave came about shortly before the end WWII, when researcher Percy Spencer was working on improving radar effectiveness. He walked in front of a working radiator and realized the chocolate bar in his pocket had just melted. He was inspired to experiment more, and he eventually created the first microwave oven that could be used in restaurants and on airplanes and ships to quickly warm food.

There are many, many more examples - Corn Flakes, the Slinky, Silly Putty, graham crackers, potato chips, tires....

In pursuit of another purpose, these "entrepreneurs" discovered something great and useful. Their attempts to grow and learn about their particular subjects led to some wonderful inventions. Did they ever succeed in their original pursuits? Possibly. But the point is, it was there failures that led them to discover new insights. Had they not been pursuing new goals and opportunities, they may never have realized their potential.

It's a great lesson for us as entrepreneurs and small business owners. Sure it's a little uncomfortable to try something new or pursue a new goal for your small business. Failure is always a possibility. But what you learn throughout the process of trying is worth at least as much as the success your efforts may produce. And even failure is valuable, too - maybe more so than you could imagine!

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals. 

Learn to Overcome Your Obstacles

"In every human endeavor there are two arenas of engagement: the outer and the inner," says Tim Gallwey, author of The Inner Game of Work. "The outer game is played on an external arena to overcome external obstacles. The inner game takes place within the mind and is played to overcome the self-imposed obstacles."

Part of learning and growing as an entrepreneur involves engaging your inner game. Everyone has a preset notion of what they can and can't accomplish. Identifying that preconception and overcoming is the true growth you should seek. After all, if you're powered by limiting beliefs and negative feelings, chances are you're just going to go faster in the wrong direction.

So how do you change that preconceived notion? The first step is to identify just what is holding you back. Some common internal roadblocks are:

Fear. Probably the most popular culprit, the list of fears is endless. Whatever your fears, they prevent you in some way from experiencing your full potential.

Thinking small. If you expect less, you get less. You have to think big and believe you can have success before you will actually experience it.

Being out of balance. When we overfocus on certain areas of our lives to the exclusion of others, we experience stress and incongruence. Creativity is then compromised.

Lack of motivation. Without passion for what you're doing (or at least a big payoff), it's difficult to get moving in any direction.

Once you determine your specific roadblocks, it's time to face them head on, reprogramming your beliefs and defining (or redefining) your life priorities and purpose. You may have to learn new skills and open your mind up to new ways of thinking, and that's not always easy to do on your own. Working with a coach helps many to determine a practical strategy for navigating the roadblocks. Sometimes the growth comes from enlisting someone "one the outside" with a fresh perspective to gently "nudge" you ahead and give you confidence as you explore the potential for your success.

A business coach (like me!) can help you over come fears, think bigger, find balance, and motivate you to reach a new level. I'd love to help you move forward by challenging you to grow in these areas. Check out my program at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com and let's get started!

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals.

The Perfect Life Retreat Experience

Last Friday I was joined by 25 women at my first-ever summer retreat for women.  The program was based on the "Perfect Life" program from Coachville and it was an incredibly powerful day.

First of all, let me tell you that if you've never been to an event at the Kickapoo Winery, located just outside Peoria, you will be blown away the first time you do!  The staff there took exceptionally good care of us and made everything look and feel like a million bucks!

From our morning mimosas to a fabulous lunchtime buffet, all the details were... well, PERFECT!  :)

And the content made a HUGE impact, which is what I especially love to hear!

Here's what one attendee told me afterward...

"Yesterday, I walked away realizing -- that everyday should be like Christmas for me -- to relish in each moment, because I have a pretty awesome life -- as about perfect as it gets (in my book) -- and in all the hustle and bustle, it's easy to get sidetracked -- so, thanks for giving me the ultimate gift of self awareness -- simply, amazing what yesterday was for me."

Another woman shared... that she thought she had been sent to the retreat by her CEO, but realized by mid-morning that it must have been arranged by God because it was exactly what she needed at a difficult point in her life.

And a third dropped me a note saying...

"Just wanted to drop you a short note to let you know how much I enjoyed the retreat today.  I've really been thinking about what elements make a perfect life for me and I have to say that I'm thinking in a whole new direction.

Thank you for putting on today's retreat.  The presentation was wonderful, I met new friends at my table, the accomodations and food was great, and I came away very inspired and grateful for what is already perfect in my life.  I guess I just named 4 things that make a perfect retreat!!!"

If you had been hoping to attend, but missed this experience, you'll be glad to know that I'm definitely planning on doing it again this fall.  I'll let you know as soon as I lock-down a date! This is a great opportunity for YOU to spend a day learning about yourself and growing as a person, which will all filter into your business philosophy and practice. I look forward to hearing from you!

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals.

Why Making Mistakes Isn't Necessarily A Bad Thing

We've all made mistakes, and we always will. It's a life fact! But rather than focusing on the negative aspects of your errors, consider that some mistakes, or at least the resulting consequences, can lead to positive outcomes that are actually good for your business. Mistakes force us to slow down and reflect for a minute, and then recover and move on with a new resolve to do better next time.

Here are a few benefits that mistakes can bring about:

1. They teach you things. We hear this one all the time, but it's true. Evaluate the situation and identify where you could have made better choices. Refocus your plan, change procedures, and be determined to do better next time.

2. They uncover your weaknesses. Instead of focusing on the downside, identify why you made the mistake and then take steps to change. Reflect on the areas where you as a business owner need to improve, and then seek out opportunities to strengthen these skills.

3. They keep you humble. No one knows everything, and each time someone points out a slight error in your judgement, you are reminded of that. Use that lesson to keep you grounded in the things that you know and continuously seeking new knowledge.

4. They give you perspective. While it's doubtful that your error brought the world to a screetching halt, you will probably notice its repercussions. When you make a mistake, you'll realize just how much your actions impact yourself, your business, and others. Keep that in mind as you continue to make decisions. Learn from the minor ones to avoid huge consequences later on.

5. They prepare you for your next mistake. You will always make mistakes, not matter how hard you try to avoid them. But part of growing as a person and a savvy business owner is learning how to react to your error and handle it with poise. Accept responsibility for your mistake and make an effort to correct it, and you'll be well on your way to implementing the lessons you've learned to build a better, stronger business.

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals. 

5 Things an Entrepreneur Should Learn about Marketing

When it comes to finding success as a small business entrepreneur, you will need to be on top of the ins and outs of doing business in 2008. Technology exists to help you do almost anything these days, from turning on your lights as you enter a room to doing the vacuuming for you (a great concept, by the way!). When it comes to marketing your business, the Internet allows you to potentially reach millions of people for relatively little cost. So, to really leverage the power of technology, you, as an entrepreneur, should know at least something about the following:

1. Your target market. To effectively engage technology, you have to know WHO you want to communicate with. Understanding your target market and narrowing your marketing to attract those specific people is essential to growing your business. You can't be all things to all people, but your services are certainly valuable to those that you can help. Make sure you are focused on meeting their needs to the best of your abilities.

2. SEO. If you don't know what SEO stands for, you should! Search Engine Optimization is a technique that helps Internet search engines find your website or blog. Even if you pay someone else to put your business online, you should still have some knowledge about how SEO and page ranking works. You are porobably the only person who has an intimate knowledge of your business, and knowing a little bit about SEO will help you provide the right information to your SEO expect. After all, if you are paying someone else to do if for you, and you should understand what you are paying for!

3. E-mail marketing. There are literally hundreds of sites that can help you market your business through e-mail. For a small monthly fee, you can build an e-mail list, manage it properly within the letter of the law, and keep in touch with your customers. Whether you need to send out monthly e-mails, or just want a way to send out special offers to current customers, e-mail marketing services are a cost-effective marketing tool, when used properly.

4. Article marketing. As an entrepreneur, you are the expert as far as your clients and customers are concerned. Let everyone else know about your expertise by writing articles about your passion. Do a simple Internet search for "article submission sites" and you will find numerous places to post your articles, creating opportunities for you to link to your Website (an important SEO factor), as well as promote your business.

5. Blogging. Adding your knowledge to the blogging community is a great way to create Internet traffic (SEO again) and promote your expertise. As people read your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and tips, they will learn more about you and your business. It's all about creating that "personal" relationship that keeps customers and clients coming back for your services and products.

Is that a full plate or what? Don't be intimidated. The great thing about todays entrepreneurial world is, you can find experts in each of these areas to help you learn about these topics, and even assist you with each marketing activity. Learn all you can, and then leverage the support of other experts to really make each of these techniques work to grow your business.

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals. 

Your Clients' Learning Styles

I've been focusing on how you learn and encouraging you to pursue learning opportunities that best suit you, but I also want to remind you that the same concepts apply to your customers and clients. If you truly want to grow your business, spend a little time developing marketing materials and building relationships using techniques from each general style of learning.

• Offer different ways for potential clients and customers to experience your services and products. Write articles and white papers for visual learners, offer teleseminars or recorded messages for auditory learners, and provide free "samples" for tactile learners.
• If lectures or presentations are part of your marketing scheme, use a slide show program, such as Powerpoint, to reach visual learners and be sure to offer handouts and written material. Talk clearly, answer questions, and engage in discussions for your auditory learners, and interact directly with tactile learners, showing them examples of your finished products or recent successful projects.
• When contacting your customers, use an even mix of phone calls and e-mails. Respect their preferences by asking how they want to be contacted.
• Be a resource for your customers and clients by suggesting ways they can find more information or details about your area of expertise. Compile a list of books, websites, audio presentations, and poeple that they can contact on their own when they need to satisfy their own curiosities.

By offering a variety of marketing materials and sources of information, you will be able to reach out to all types of learners and appeal to them effectively. Your extra effort will be rewarded as they seek out personal relationships with those they choose to do business with.

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals. 

Resources for Different Learning Styles

Last time I wrote a bit about the different learning styles, and asked you to consider how you learn best. After you've indentified your style or preference, consider these tips to help you choose the best process so you can effectively use your time and apply the concepts:

Visual Learners:

• Visualize information as a picture, or use acronyms to help you learn lists and sets of instructions.
• Search the Internet to find step-by-step videos, tutorials, pictures, maps, graphs, etc.
• Take notes during a lecture or presentation.
• Ask a presenter for handouts or other printed information that you can take with you.
• Make lists of important points.
• Choose books that illustrate concepts and use a lot of graphics, rather than those that just present information in written form.
• Review information in a quiet place without distractions.

Auditory Learners:

• Attend classes and lectures, and seek out opportunities to speak and present you ideas.
• Record lectures with a mini tape/digital recorder.
• Read to yourself outloud.
• Listen to audio books.
• Participate in forums or discussions when you can voice your thoughts and hear others talk about your topic of interest.
• Talk outloud and record your own thoughts, and then listen to them as you put your ideas on paper.

Tactile/Kinesthetic Learners

• Mutli-task! Listen to an audio book while doing the dishes, or run while listening to a recorded lecture on your MP3 player.
• Attend conferences and trade shows where you can interact with people and products.
• Highlight reading materials with bright colors.
• Consider role-playing - imagine yourself in different positions and think about how you would act or react
• Skim through material before you really concentrate on specific details.
• Use how-to guides that allow you to work through problems as you go.

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals.   

See, Hear, or Touch - How do you learn best?

You are probably aware that individuals learn differently. Some prefer to sit in a classroom and take notes from an instructor, others would rather read books and learn at their own pace. In general, there are 3 different types of learners - visual, auditory, and tactile or kinesthetic. You may fit almost entirely into one category, but you may also fit all 3 in one way or another, depending on the subject and purpose. The key is to figure out how you learn the best and seek out opportunities to maximize your experiences.

To do a quick assessment of your learning style, consider the following:

Visual Learners:

• try to see a word when spelling it
• are distracted by movement or clutter when trying to concentrate
• prefer direct, face-to-face, personal meetings
• look for pictures or diagrams, read directions, and enjoy viewing presentations or watching demonstrations

Auditory learners:

• sound out words or use a phoenetic approach when spelling
• are distracted by noises and sounds when trying to concentrate
• enjoy dialog and talking on the phone
• will call a help desk or ask a friend or colleague for directions or instructions

Tactile learners:

• write out words to spell them, making sure they "feel" right
• use lots of gestures when speaking
• are distracted by a lot of activity
• enjoy interacting with people while walking or doing an activity
• try to figure things out and learn as they go, ignoring directions or instructions

Which category describes you best? As an entrepreneur, it's very valuable, as you take time to define your goals and ambitions, to start with a clear assessment of who you are, which includes how you learn. We'll continue to explore learning styles in future posts. Thanks for checking in!

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals.

Learning = Growing

One of the most important characteristics of being an successful and productive entrepreneur is your the ability to be open to new ideas and to learn new things. You have to recognize that you simply can't know everything about running your own business. You have to be willing to seek out new sources of information and opportunities to learn. Acquiring and implementing this new knowledge is ultimately going to help you operate more efficiently and serve your customers and clients better.

Throughout the month of July, the focus for my "The Productive Entrepreneur" program will be learning and growth. Participants will benefit from helpful tips and suggestions for incorporating more learning time into their busy days, and also learn about resources they can use to help them grow, both personally and professionally. I've also got some great examples of people who, at one time or another, failed to think creatively and put limits on their ideas. Some of them learned from their mistakes and changed course, but others simply stopped growing and eventually closed up shop. There are certainly some things we can learn from their experiences!

Begin thinking about what you would like to learn or feel you need to learn to grow a successful business. We can explore those topics in one-on-one coaching sessions, and maybe some of the resources I suggest in later posts will help you identify additional ways to learn and grow. But even if you're not up to pursuing a specific topic right now, remember to be open to learning the lessons, no matter how small, in your everyday operations as they materialize. Be sure you're always determined to learn something new everyday. You never know what that little piece of knowledge will lead to big things later!

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Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM.  If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com.  Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals. 

Learning and Growing

On of the most important characteristics of being an successful and productive entrepreneur is your the ability to be open to new ideas and to learn new things. You have to recognize that you simply can't know everything about running your own business. You have to be willing to seek out new sources of information and opportunities to learn. Acquiring and implementing this new knowledge is ultimately going to help you operate more efficiently and serve your customers and clients better. Throughout the month of July, the focus for my The Productive Entrepreneur program will be learning and growth. Participants will benefit from helpful tips and suggestions for incorporating more learning time into their busy days, and also learn about resources they can use to help them grow, both personally and professionally. I've also got some great examples of people who, at one time or another, failed to think creatively and put limits on their ideas. Some of them learned from their mistakes and changed course, but others simply stopped growing and eventually closed up shop. There are certainly some things we can learn from their experiences! Begin thinking about what you would like to learn if you could, or what you think you need to learn. We can explore those topics in one-on-one coaching sessions, or maybe some of the resources I suggest in later posts will help you identify ways to learn and grow. But even if you don't pursue a specific topic, be open to learning the lessons, no matter how small, in the everyday happenings that present themselves to you. Be sure you're always determined to learn something new everyday. You never know what that little piece of knowledge will lead to big things later! *** Joy Duling is a business strategist and creator of The Productive Entrepreneur ProgramTM. If you enjoyed this post, we invite you to explore the resources available at www.theproductiveentrepreneur.com. Each month, Joy presents resources and educational opportunities aimed at helping self-employed, entrepreneurial business owners increase their personal productivity so that they can accomplish BIG goals.