The Micro Business Owner Learning Curve Ball

[Jennifer Suarez-Copywriter]

I learned something new from Pat last week.

I’m sure that is something many Inside919ers can say.

What surprised me about it was my gut reaction when he asked if I knew about it. I wanted to lie, to pretend yes, I know that. Of course I do. I’m a copywriter, aren’t I? I wouldn’t want Pat Howlett, of all people, to think I don’t know what I am doing.

Admitting ignorance of something in your field feels illicit somehow. Instead, we all pretend to carry Mary Poppins carpet bags containing every single trick AND the bathroom sink.

Micro business owners have a steep learning curve. Not only must you stay on top of your game in the field, but you act as a lawyer, a marketer, a social media guru, a bookkeeper and administrative assistant and a sales rep — often all in one day.

But the rate at which things are changing makes it nearly impossible to know it all. I like to know as much as I can about many different things: writing, editing, content marketing, SEO and more. Meanwhile, I’m studying Spanish and basic programming. Still, there are only so many hours in the day.

That is what I tell my clients: they don’t have time to write, so hire me.

As a former professional organizer, I actually could list several ways micro business owners like me can manage their time to keep learning in their schedules. Delegation is on that list. So, why don’t I listen to my own advice?

In the end, the real trick is to be open to learning at all times, ears perked and ready for new information that we can use to improve our work. In other words, it’s OK to admit you don’t know it all.

I guess that’s two things I learned from Pat last week.

[Fred T. Gruber Jr.]

Great points! Even though it is important to keep educating yourself, in your chosen profession, you can't have all the answers. It's always better to be honest than to try to pretend to know something you don't.

[Yoga w/ Olga]

I agree--be open to learning at all times. There's so much to learn from others & it's so much easier to listen & create from the moment! Thank you for this brief & to the point article. I'll be glad to help you with your spanish!

[Rick Nipper]

Jennifer, a good reminder. My belief is that the consummate expert is the one who is proficient in his/her field but understands that there is no way to know everything. This expert is one who knows when he/she needs to seek further information, has the resources to retrieve this information and doesn't apologize about it. Knowledge is constantly changing and the expert can understand the basic framework to accommodate changes that inevitably will occur in any field. It's about a mindset and a higher level of thinking rather than simply quantity of knowledge because the quantity exceeded the brain's capacity quite some time ago.