With the festive season fast approaching, it’s a rare time for you high-energy entrepreneurs to relax a little, recharge your batteries, review your accomplishments and consider priorities for the year ahead. If you’re operating in a highly competitive marketplace, you’re probably on the lookout for ways to develop your business skills and stay in tip-top mental and physical condition in order to maintain a competitive edge and ramp up your resilience.
But if your schedule already feels packed, you might be wondering how there’s room for any other work-related activities. However, modern tech makes new commitments easier to flex around than you may realise and any extra time you commit up front will likely maximise your efficiency further down the line.
With that in mind, here are five ways to build your business skills and fast-track your startup success in 2020.
- Get fit
The old ‘healthy body, healthy mind’ adage rings true for many successful businesspeople – the physical benefits of staying fit are further enhanced by those mood-enhancing endorphins that a great gym session releases.
Taking out a PureGym membership means you can exercise 24/7 and enjoy bags of free classes included for a minimal monthly fee – it’s seriously worth thinking about!
- Increase your emotional intelligence
When you want to motivate yourself and the people who work for you, emotional intelligence can be more valuable than intellectuality. And The School of Life has campuses around the world where you can take short, business-focused courses that borrow theories from the greatest creative and philosophical minds to help you live well and work positively.
Take a look at the schooloflife.com to find a course that suits you from their extensive calendar.
- Absorb excellent thought leadership
There’s nothing wrong with standing on the shoulders of giants when it comes to achieving business success. If you’re a fan of thought leadership, buying Ray Dalio’s Principles from Audible allows you to bag brilliant business tips from the man who runs the world’s most successful hedge fund.
Listen to Ray’s advice in your downtime and you’ll soon have a firm grasp of concepts like idea meritocracy and radical transparency, as well as an appreciation of the benefits of transcendental meditation.
- Dress for success
Dressing appropriately for different business occasions so that you feel comfortable and confident is an important, yet often overlooked, facet of entrepreneurialism – and while dress codes in many industries have relaxed in recent years, generally looking well-groomed can’t do any harm.
Gents who want some advice on sartorial success should keep a close eye on GQ for tips, while the Who What Wear website is a great resource for high-flying women.
- Distance learning
Higher education remains one of the best ways to boost your business skills and earn a formal qualification that lasts a lifetime.
And taking a course with the likes of ARU Distance Learning means you can study online in your own time, fitting modules around work and family commitments, applying knowledge as you progress and gaining a career-focused qualification like an MBA or Project Management masters.
That’s our list! Share your own 2020 startup success tips in the comments section.
