Entrepreneurs Guide to Combining Education with Business

Education is not a means to an end but a process to acquiring the right tools to be a financial pillar. Although many would-be entrepreneurs may think it is best to wait on their budding business idea until they graduate, some savvy entrepreneurs are jumping into business while still in school. How do they manage both?

 

Get to know yourself.

Some people assimilate better in the day while others assimilate better in the night. While some people can study in a very noisy environment, others may require a very tranquil place to understand a phrase. Understanding yourself is the backbone of being successful if you intend to combine two time and effort intensive projects such as education and business. After all, the likes of Ben Carson barely attended lectures but spent those hours studying yet emerged the world’s best Neurosurgeon.

Discipline

Be Disciplined or die! As dramatic as that may sound, that is all you need. Set goals and strive to accomplish them. Raise the bar higher each time and go for it, and push your self harder. Fix a target amount you expect to make at a particular period, program your system to deliberately study for a particular number of hours per day and ensure you are intentional about getting it right. Practice hard and get out of your comfort zone. Improve your half-life and delay your fatigue levels.

Time management

This is basically the bedrock of every success story. To own a Business and make good grades in school, you basically have to organize and plan how long you spend on specific activities and be deliberate about it. Time management starts with the commitment to change and can be easy as long as you are committed. It involves a great deal of intentional actions like creating a daily to-do (and to-not-do) list, prioritizing and managing distractions.

Compartmentalization

We are humans, we own just one body that can be in one place at a time. One mistake student entrepreneurs make is simply being in two places at a time: by this I mean either being in classes learning (or studying) and thinking about their business or vice versa. I mean to run a business while in school you have got to master the art of sacrificing in all totality, be at a place at a time, give it your best and when you are done move to the next place.

 

Say No!

Prioritizing is evident in ones ability to say NO! Remember you’ve got a business to run as well as books to read. Learn to say No to distractions no mater how appealing it might be. Crucial work time expended on distractions could be used to catch up on business or school work. A firm resounding No should be used to keep your emotions and actions in check.

Passion

Nothing is more effective than Enthusiasm. Passion cannot be taught, but can be cultivated. To run a business and be a scholar, you have got to want them both more than anything in the world. A burning desire to excel at both that would be your thriving force, an anchor that keeps you shrewd.

Have the Focus of a craftsman

There is always danger associated with having one too many side projects and a greater possibility of completing/excelling at none. Keep your eyes on the prize, keep multitasking to the barest minimum and always ask yourself questions like “how does this help me achieve what I want to be in five years?”, “is this really important?’, “what value does this add to my academics and business?’ and other like questions that keep you in check and wave away distractions. Once you are focused on the quality of work you are doing, you would constantly want to improve on it and not leave it for a brief high.

Relationships

As a matter of fact, keeping up with two very different environments can be tasking. It would definitely require superhuman strength to stay aloof and remain in the game of both. To hit excellence in both spheres, associations can never be underestimated. You need someone in school to keep you informed on tests, study and revise books with you and keep you updated on general happenings in school. In the same vein, you require someone who could be willing to help you run errands and run your business when you are caught up with inevitable school work.

Celebrate your achievements

It may not look like much but encourage yourself, give yourself thumbs up for every milestone conquered, whether it is a little increase in profits, an excellent result, or a new level to graduation. Praise yourself and celebrate your efforts the best way you deem fit. Remember you are doing what should be considered superhuman and you just conquered yet another battle. After all, nothing feeds passion like palpable confidence derived from victory.