It is well known that a trained work team helps your company to be more productive, profitable, and innovative, allows the achievement of goals, and promotes development and motivation. This is an issue that, as a business owner, you should care about since one of the biggest problems faced by small businesses is the need for more professionalization of their staff. However, training should start with the business owner, who should have the basic knowledge to lead a project.
Remember, companies are like their owners; if the owner does not trust and dedicate time to training, his problems will be more significant daily. Therefore, training is the key to a company's success.
What should I train on?
Many business owners believe that because they started their business and it has done well, they don't need training. However, creating a successful business without preparation and planning signifies short-lived prosperity. Everything changes quickly, and you usually always overwork yourself and put aside essential things about your business and family. If you want to develop, grow and adapt to the needs of the market, you should also train yourself in other areas, learn about new trends, tools to scale up your business, etc. But what are the three essential aspects in which you should train yourself?
1.- Administration-Accounting-Finances.
It is not necessary to be an expert in each of them, but you should know the basics to plan the future of your business. Essential concepts such as developing a business plan, financial projections, savings, sources of financing, and taxes, among others, you should know them because not knowing anything, many entrepreneurs leave everything in the hands of their accountant or administrator and end up suffering the financial consequences, many of them serious.
2.- Sales and marketing.
Knowing the basics of sales can guide you on how to plan the sales investments of your business. Currently, markets have expanded, and you can both locally and nationally or internationally from a web platform and other skills to offer both products or services. These two aspects are increasingly essential; knowing how to sell and take what we sell to others is the basis of any business, even if the product is yourself.
3.- Technology.
Technology is advancing by leaps and bounds; to ignore this reality is to delay the development of your business. The Internet and other technological skills allow you to optimize processes and times in different areas of your business, making you more and more competitive in the market. Using information and communication technologies (ICT), you can count on a series of work tools, from a free ERP or CRM to a landline via Skype, task management tools in cloud computing, and crowdsourcing platforms.
Where can I get training without paying?
Many public and private institutions in New York State offer business training services. Here are some of them.
1.- NYC Small Business Services.
The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is a department of the New York City government aimed at helping small businesses.
Here is their Eventbrite page with all the workshops completely free of charge:
https://www.eventbrite.com/o/nyc-department-of-small-business-services-5423713077
I also share with you their WEB page with important information for your business:
https://nyc-business.nyc.gov/nycbusiness/startabusiness
2.- Small Business Administration.
Agency belonging to the Federal Government, its objective is to help small businesses. You can find a complete business guide on their website to learn the basics when starting your project.
https://www.sba.gov/guia-de-negocios
3.- Eventbrite.
It is a page where you can find many courses (free and paid) for businesses. To access them, you must create an account in Eventbrite and then click on the Business Event section.
https://www.eventbrite.com/b/ny--new-york/business/
4.- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
The Internal Revenue Service has a variety of resources available to small business owners to help them understand and meet their tax responsibilities. In addition, small business owners can use IRS.gov for a wide range of tax-related information resources.
https://www.irs.gov/es/newsroom/national-small-business-week-irsgov-offers-a-z-resources-for-small-businesses
5.- Empire State Development.
New York State agency charged with supporting small businesses. While it does not have a lot of educational material, it does have a lot of information on loans and other types of financial assistance.
https://esd.ny.gov/
