One of the things that will differentiate an entrepreneur who is successful and one who struggles to get by is the amount of continuing education and skill development each one applies to their business.
Every time I meet an entrepreneur who is having a difficult time, I ask them what it is that they have done to bring in new clients. Typically they will be doing exactly the same thing they have always done.
That is one of the biggest problems.
People don’t look up long enough to see what is going on around them and they keep repeating the same routine they’ve always done. They often done even realize their business is in trouble until it’s too late.
It’s too late when they are in the position of owing more money every month than they are generating in revenue.
I started teaching entrepreneurial skills in 1991. I was asked to run a leads group for the Walnut Creek Chamber of Commerce while I was trying desperately to keep my travel agency afloat. I had five employees, a partner and an overhead of $8,500. That meant I had to sell $85,000 a moth in travel just to break even.
I was invited to the leads group the year before, but it took me about six months to actually show up.