I know this is a common hurdle we come across as small business owners. When we are starting out finances are often limited and the thought of spending money on courses, coaches and further training seems to the last thing on our minds.

One thing that has helped me to work past this is to consider the long term goals and vision for my business and what is going to be required to getting there.

Let’s consider where we spend and have spent our money in the past…

For those of you who have university degrees, I’d like you to consider how much this cost you? What did you get out of it? Can you say it gave you the key skills you needed to create a successful business or that it was the foundation for leading you to where you are today? 

I spent over $40,000 on my university degree (thank you to the Australian uni’s charging me international student rates).  Did I ever second guess that invest? Did I look around for a cheaper option? Did I even ask for feedback and testimonials from past students? No, I blindly trusted in the process. I never saw any of the content beforehand or bothered asking how the tutors would deliver their trainings. I could go on but you get the point… I handed over $40k without knowing what I’d get out of it besides a nice piece of paper to hang on the wall, because that’s what people do. I have never once in my whole career been asked if I have a degree. And to be really honest, (and not to bag out uni degrees because I know they can definitely serve a purpose) I know my money would have been far better spent doing short courses and learning from those in business that I respect and admire. 

In 2020 I was experiencing complete burn out in my business, every day was a struggle and I didn’t know how I’d get through this time. I was supporting my family financially while my husband was on parental leave so taking time off wasn’t an option. I knew I needed help. I found an amazing intuitive business coach that I wanted to work with. At the time the cost was $2500 and that seemed like a huge investment for me. How could I spend $2500 on myself when I knew money was fairly tight? I had to hit rock bottom before I was willing to commit to the coaching and hand over the money. I can tell you though it was worth every single dollar! The coaching completely shifted my mindset, my overwhelm, I found clarity in the direction I was headed and I finally felt empowered to keep driving my business forward. 

Over the past several years I would have spent around $10,000 on training, courses and coaches in my businesses. These investments have been pivotal in creating success for me. There is only so much you can learn from Youtube and often without financial commitment we won’t be motivated to actually see things through if they are free. When we invest we show up, we take on board the information given to us and we take action. 

Investing in yourself on both a professional and personal level will be essential for your business success.