by Solomon Thimothy, founder & Chief Executive Officer of Clickx
When I was younger, I used to read only when I was forced to, or if a grade was at stake. Reading was a chore to say the least. I was never the bookworm type. But that all changed when I became the CEO of my own company.
Sounds hard to believe? That makes two of us. When I first began my business I hardly had time to do anything, let alone reading. It was not until my business coach suggested that I read that I even considered it. Little did I know that my coach took up reading since high school – a book a week! Yes, that’s a book a week times a decade or two. That’s a lot of books!
His story inspired me and led me to consider reading. Today, I have learned to love reading and appreciate all the benefits that come with it.
Here are just a few of the benefits I’ve experienced after I became an avid reader:
Unlimited Learning Potential.
Masters? PhD? Whether we admit it or not, people will judge you based on your educational attainment. The reality, though, is that running a business is completely different than what you’ll face in any classroom. No class will ever prepare you to tackle the many obstacles and challenges of running your own business.
While a degree will give you the theory behind how to run a business, doing it in real life is 100 times harder.
One of the greatest things I’ve gained from reading is that I can learn about any topic I want – no limits – practically for free. Reading allows you to explore and delve deep into any topic without limiting how much or how little you’ll learn. Yes, I can learn about hiring, motivating a team, running operations, selling, and finance just by hitting the books.
I’ve learned more from reading than I learned in my MBA classes – and that’s a fact.
Learning from the Best.
We’ve always been told that it’s wise to learn from our elders – those that have been there and done that. When I began reading, I started by reading about successful CEOs like Jack Welsh from GE, Steve Jobs from Apple and Howard Schultz of Starbucks. Little did I know that reading about how they transformed their businesses would be a learning lesson for me.
Having access to their stories and challenges was eye opening. I have learned greatly about leadership and how to be a better leader just by learning about how these great leaders overcame challenges and how they transformed their companies from one-product companies to global brands.
Motivation & Inspiration.
As a business owner, especially if you’re just starting out, you’ll experience a lot of ups and downs. Sometimes these setbacks seem too great to overcome.
A by-product of reading about past CEOs, good or bad, has been a true source of motivation and inspiration. Yes, reading about the hardships and tumultuous situations leaders, inventors, scientists and more have gone through are truly motivational. Think of stories like Sir James Dyson, inventor of Dyson vacuum cleaners. He didn’t succeed at first try. Or second for that matter. It took 5,127 failures to achieve what we know of today as a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
Yes, you’ll have setbacks all along your journey but staying motivated and focused on your vision is key. Reading can be a great source of inspiration and motivation no matter what challenge you face.
Getting Started.
The hardest part of reading, especially if you’re not an avid reader already, is getting started. Get started by reading industry blogs. Reading at least one blog a day will get you started and give you fuel for reading more and more. You’ll soon find yourself with a growing list of books to read.
If reading traditional books is not your thing, try digital editions or even audio versions. You might just learn a thing or two running on the treadmill or on your way to work – no page flipping required!
Solomon Thimothy has built his career around his passion for helping other businesses grow an online presence and thrive in the digital world. Upon discovering the importance of competing online, Solomon wanted to create a more budget-friendly solution that allows every business the chance to thrive online. It is because of this passion that Clickx was born in 2006. Clickx provides budget-friendly, scalable marketing solutions to small and medium sized businesses nationwide.
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