Whether you’ve been in business for years or you’ve just started, you’re sure to reach a point where you’re just not growing anymore. Perhaps you feel as if you’ve tapped your entire network and you’re just not sure who to contact anymore. Or maybe you feel as if you’ve hit a wall in your business and you want to help more people, but you’re not sure how to go about doing so. What can you do? Grow your mind and skills.

Growth is central to any business. It doesn’t matter what you’re selling; all growth in your business begins with growing your mind.

How to grow your mind

There are lots of ways to grow your mind, from taking classes to reading books. We advise you run the gamut and read all you can, take all the classes you can, and seek out the wisdom of the successful people who have been there before.

Reading

Reading is the easiest, most time-friendly way to improve your knowledge, especially now. You can pick up a physical copy of a book to read and markup as you wish or you can download a digital copy and highlight portions you want to remember. Reading is something you can do while you’re waiting for something (or someone) else, whether you’re waiting to pick your kids up from school or you’re meeting a friend for coffee. It’s also easy to do when you’re on-the-go – most books are available on audio, allowing you to listen while you’re on the treadmill or in the car.

So, what should you read? Pick up business books that help you manage your business better and sharpen your sales and relationship skills. Also, delve into biographies and autobiographies of your favorite business leaders and entrepreneurs. As humans, we not only learn from our own experiences; we also learn from the experiences of others, too. Think about the early days of our ancient civilizations – most of the foods we eat today were enjoyed by our ancestors long ago. How did they know which plants were edible and which ones would poison them? They either learned first-hand (and got sick if they ate the wrong thing) or they learned from someone else who tried it (and got sick or, worst case scenario, died eating the wrong thing).

Pro Tip: Feel you don’t have time to read? Carve out 10 minutes first thing in the morning or before bed. Or, listen to audiobooks while you’re in the car, at the gym or walking the dog.

The most successful entrepreneurs have one or more failed ventures in their pasts that have helped them to sharpen their business models, products, and services so they can succeed in their next business. By reading books by and about their experiences, you can find ways to avoid making the same mistakes in your own business.

Mentors and coaches

Similar to learning from the mistakes of well-known business leaders, also consider learning from the experiences of your mentor and/or coach. They’ve likely been through many of the same issues and challenges you have and can offer valuable insight you can tailor to your business. If you can’t get on Skype with Oprah to pick her brain about your business, meeting with your mentor is the next best thing.

Mentors and coaches not only offer impartial insight into your business through their past experiences, they also offer tips to help you push past whatever is holding you back. Often, we find it difficult to grow because we hate feeling uncomfortable. Let me tell you, true growth is found just beyond your comfort zone. A coach or mentor will encourage you to stretch beyond your comfort zone and into the growth zone. Plus, they’ll cheer you on along the way to make sure you continue to stretch instead of running back to the comfortable (no-growth) zone.

Training

Training is vital to your business! Put another way, your business will not grow if you’re not willing to keep your skills and knowledge sharp through additional training. Unfortunately, it’s the thing that gets cut or moved to the “later” pile when planning a business. Most people will make excuses:

• “I just don’t have the time now.”
• “I’m broke and can’t afford to take a training program, even if it could help me.”
• “My business is good enough, I guess.”

Even if they have ambitious goals they’d like to fulfill, people will often do backflips to come up reasons for not doing something. This is to their detriment – training is the one thing that will help them address the changing needs of their customers, prospects, and distributors. However, they may not be able to move past their current circumstances, particularly in regard to resources like time and money.

Here are two truths of business:

1. There’s no such thing as the perfect time. Sure, we may think that we’ll have more time in a few months, but the reality is that in a few months, something else will have come up. The best time to do something to help your business is right now.
2. You have to spend money to make money. It’s an old adage of business, which has proven true time and time again. To be specific, you have to ensure that the money you spend will help grow your business; don’t just spend money to spend it. When you spend money on things, like training, that will help you improve your skills and expand your knowledge, it’s an investment in your business.

Pro Tip: If you find it difficult to commit to training, enlist your friends and teammates to join you. You’ll hold one another accountable.

Grow your business with Teamzy Elite Business Bootcamp

We developed Elite Business Bootcamp to help network marketers get a turbo-boost for their businesses. It’s true that Teamzy helps network marketers take their businesses beyond the side hustle and create successful, efficient relationship marketing-based businesses. It helps them create goals to reach and plan every aspect of their businesses.

Elite Business Bootcamp takes it further and provides valuable training to help them develop the habits and strategies conducive to building a lasting business. The first time network marketers take it, they learn more about the relationship marketing system and how to incorporate it into their businesses. Since the concept is new to them, they often take what makes the most sense and what they can use today and adopt it right away. The result is more sales, more introductions, and an expanded network – all critical to growing a business.

But, what if I’ve already taken it?

People often ask us why network marketers who are at the height of business take Bootcamp again and again. We’ve had people enroll every year – sometimes even more. After all, they’re likely making more money than ever; why do they need to improve?

The answer is simple…

1. They want to learn to serve their network in a real way. The most successful network marketers are so successful because they lead with love and heart to serve. As their networks’ needs change, they understand it’s vital to meet these changing needs. Training gives you the tips and strategies to meet your people where they need you the most.
2. They want to stay at the top of their game. Achieving success is easy; maintaining it is hard. It’s tempting, once you reach success, to rest on your laurels and shift your business into cruise control. Sure, rest is important; however, it’s also important to keep moving and growing, even after you’ve reached your initial goals. Aim higher! Training helps you do that by keeping your skills sharp and introducing you to new ways to serve your people.
3. They want to create momentum. Training keeps your business at the top of your priority list. It’s so easy to put off those daily business activities, especially at this time of year when you’d rather be sitting beach- or poolside. We’re all guilty of it from time to time. However, training helps you resist this temptation and keeps you honest to your goals and business.  The weekly videos and tasks hold you accountable to your business. Additionally, connecting with other students in the private Facebook group will inspire you to put some of their tips and tricks for connecting with people to use with your own network.

We’re past the mid-point of the year – are you on track to achieving your goals? Whether you’re knocking your sales numbers out of the park or you experienced a setback and are trying to catch up, training is one surefire way to help you succeed this year and every year. We only offer Elite Business Bootcamp four times a year and the time to register for the next session is fast approaching. Click here to learn more and sign up when registration opens again.