No matter your area of expertise, running your own business can be one of the best ways to make a living. Starting your own business provides you with unlimited earning potential and allows you to be your own boss, free from the rules and regulations of working from another company and able to make all your own choices when it comes to where, how, and when you work along with who you hire to work alongside you. But no matter how passionate you are about your business or how committed you are to running it successfully, you may have come to a point like many other entrepreneurs where it feels like you’re not getting any further. If you don’t have a lot of formal training, or are struggling with certain areas of your business due to a lack of knowledge and skill, you may be considering enrolling in extra training or even getting an online degree to make sure that your knowledge is up to scratch and that you have the resources you need to get better business results.
There are several options to consider depending on the type of knowledge and skills that you want to gain from additional training. If it’s business-specific skills that you want to build, a mentor or coach might be a great option, providing somebody who can work alongside you, provide tailored training and give you feedback on the decisions you make to help you determine whether or not your business is headed in the right direction. On the other hand, if you are struggling with a certain area of your business such as marketing, cybersecurity, or human resources, getting an education in this area alongside any formal education that you already have is a great way to develop your skills and become a confident all-rounder.
Today, online degree programs are available in a range of different subject options and from lots of reputable colleges and universities. They are often flexible, making them an ideal option for any business owner who needs to continue putting their business first while studying. Getting your degree online allows you to obtain the knowledge and skills that you need for future success in your business, while taking advantage of a flexible schedule and workload to make things work for you. Here’s how to make the most of getting a degree online while running your own business.
Choose the Right Degree Program
Many business owners will opt for a business-related degree program that is directly related to helping them develop the skills that they need to run their business, such as business administration or even an MBA. However, you don’t have to take this route. Maybe you have already had formal business training, or feel that the running and management of your business is where your strengths lie, and want to take a degree program that helps you work on your main weaknesses. Perhaps you will decide to get an online degree program that is directly related to the business that you run. For example, if you are running an IT helpdesk company that works with various business clients, getting a master’s degree in cybersecurity from SBU Online can help you boost your knowledge and skills when it comes to what you are offering.
Research Programs
Today it is easier than ever for anybody to set up an online school and start offering online courses. Because of this, it’s important to research any colleges and programs that you might be interested in, to make sure that they are legitimate. Along with this, you will want to research what each program offers to ensure that it is a good fit for you, especially if you need to juggle getting the degree with running your business full-time. Some online degree programs will offer complete freedom and flexibility when it comes to how you study. While most will ask you to have assignments completed by certain dates, this will be the only thing that you need to stick to, and how you decide to study is up to you. On the other hand, other programs offer a more structured approach and will require you to be logged on for online classes at certain days and times. Consider your own schedule and how this can be fit around your business to determine which one of these options is going to be the best for you. Most of the time, business owners prefer the completely flexible approach, as this allows them to put their business first and quickly adjust their schedule whenever the business calls for it.
Consider Your Career and Business Goals
There is certainly no shortage of online degree programs available to study today. The COVID-19 pandemic has only made online degree programs in every subject increasingly popular, with more and more students who have decided to study online during the pandemic to use their time at home wisely to gain new knowledge and skills. Online degree programs have become increasingly popular with business owners who have decided that this option to study in a flexible way where they are in control is the right option for them in terms of what their business needs.
It’s important to consider your goals for your business career when choosing an online degree program, to make sure that the one you end up enrolling in is the one that is most aligned with what you want for the future. Whether you want to specifically improve certain parts of your business using your new knowledge and skills or just want to improve the business as a whole, the degree program that you choose will have a huge impact.
Consider Entry Requirements
One of the best things about running your own business is that, unlike many other professional business careers, you are not usually required to have any qualifications. Anybody who has a marketable idea that they are passionate about can start their own business; many business owners are people who dropped out of college or even started their business while in high school as a teen. However, it’s important to consider that if you started your business with no qualifications, this might stand in your way when it comes to improving your educational achievements with an online degree program. For the most part, a bachelor’s degree will require you to have a minimum of a GED, while master’s degree programs usually require you to have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant subject. That being said, some business-specific master’s degree programs may be willing to forego the requirements for past education in favor of your experience, so you may be able to get onto an MBA program or similar without a previous degree if you have been running your business for many years.
Planning Ahead for Your Study Schedule
Once you’ve done all the required research and have decided on the best online degree to meet your business goals, it’s time to get started with planning your future study schedule. As a business owner, chances are that you are no stranger to planning ahead for the future, since good preparation and planning is essential for business success. Planning your time by coming up with a schedule that fits your needs and works well for you is an important part of making the most of getting your online degree at the same time as running your business. With so many commitments to consider, planning your time to make sure that you fit it all in and still have some time to enjoy your personal life is crucial for making sure that you’re able to succeed without becoming overwhelmed or burned out. The best way to do this is to take some time to go over your current schedule and consider any time that you have that could be spent studying instead.
Delegate Business Tasks and Free Up Your Time
Getting an online degree in business or any other subject can be a huge commitment, so it’s important to make sure that you’re delegating as many tasks as possible to other people to free up your own time and avoid becoming overwhelmed and burned out. Delegating tasks to others is an important skill for any business owner to learn, and if you’ve been the type who tries to do everything themselves up until now, getting your degree online can be a great learning experience for you when it comes to letting go of control and finding professionals or companies that you can trust to look after various areas of your business on your behalf.
You may want to start by hiring an assistant manager that you can trust to look after day-to-day operations and managing employees for you, which will allow you to take more days that you can commit to studying. Hiring professionals or freelancers to look after areas of your business such as accounting, marketing, social media management, customer service and more will not only free up more of your time as a business owner but can also help with making sure that things are run more smoothly and you get better results.
Find Somewhere to Study
Finding a space that you can dedicate to studying for your online degree is a good place to start when you are getting ready for your first day as a student. This will depend on where you are able to study best. For some, it’s a spare room in their home that they can use as an office space or a study space depending on whether they’re working on their business or their online degree. On the other hand, some students prefer to get out of the house to work on their online degree – if this sounds like you, a local library or a co-working space might be an ideal choice for you. If you run your business from a physical office, a quiet area of the office might be an ideal place to get some studying done if you prefer to work away from the distractions in your home. Wherever you choose to study from, make sure that it is a place that is as distraction-free and comfortable as possible to help you get the most out of your study sessions.
Ask for Support
Along with finding the right people to support you with running your business by delegating tasks to them while you are studying for your online degree, it’s a good idea to ask for support from as many people in your life that are willing to give it. Getting an online degree while running your own business can be a very difficult task with a heavy workload, depending on the type of degree you decide to get, the subject you are studying and whether you decide to study part-time or full-time. Speak to your relatives and friends to see if they are willing to offer any time or energy to help you out while you’re juggling running a business and studying. A friend who’ll be able to babysit your kids more often, or a relative who’s happy to pick up groceries for you when they do their own can help to take the smaller loads off your mind and make it easier for you to get on with getting your degree.
Reflect on Your Progress
Finally, just like you do with your business, it’s a good idea to reflect regularly on your progress as you get your online degree to make sure that everything is still working well for you. Keeping a journal can be an ideal way to do this since this gives you something that you can look back on every month or so to figure out what is working well and what isn’t. Reflecting on your progress makes it easier for you to make choices where necessary to put yourself in with the best chance of success, whether that means reducing the amount of time you spend studying or delegating more business tasks to prevent becoming overwhelmed.
If you run your own business, getting an online degree can help you improve your skills and become a more successful business owner in the future. Keep these tips in mind to make the most of getting your degree alongside your business commitments.
