Personal growth has been—and probably always will be—a hot button topic, and for good reason. As the saying goes, “You can’t pour from an empty glass.”
While it’s easy to blame business blunders on external factors, sometimes it’s important to first look inward and make adjustments there. An effective personal growth plan might be just what you need to succeed.
In this blog, 10 small business professionals discuss how they approach personal growth and how it helps boost the success of their businesses:
1. Learn as much as possible
"I read! I want to learn as much as I can: how to be a great leader, how to communicate well, how to video edit, etc. The more I know, the better I can be for my business." -- Vanessa Molica, The Lash Professional
2. Conscious capitalism
"I love the personal development I benefit from while working with Conscious Leaders. I enjoy helping them and their organizations continuously lean into learning and have a growth mindset. Sometimes the best personal growth comes as a result of helping others improve and succeed." -- Max Hansen, Y Scouts
3. Pick up a book
"Personal growth is crucial to a small business’ success, both for the business owners and for their team members. As an owner of Arrow Lift, I have always found it helpful to read a wide variety of materials to pursue personal growth. This includes professional books such as Business Adventures (after learning that Bill Gates and Warren Buffett recommend it), fiction novels (my all-time favorite is East of Eden), as well as industry resources such as the SHRM blog. While reading alone may not be enough to achieve well-rounded personal growth, it’s a good place to start." -- Pete Newstrom, Arrow Lift
4. Rise and shine
"An early wake-up time can help you ease into the workday. Some studies show that 90% of executives wake up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. By waking up early, you have time to exercise, check pertinent emails, enjoy a good breakfast, and then get to work early enough to get a head start on important tasks. Sounds simple, but taking advantage of the solitude in a morning certainly helps boost the success of your small business." -- Megan Chiamos, 365 Cannabis
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5. Volunteer
"I am a big believer in investment in personal growth to boost the success of a business. A great place to start when you don't have budgets to support personal growth is to actively participate and encourage volunteering on professional boards, community non-profits, and associations. There are many opportunities to serve, share talents, gain leadership development and more. The best part of this activity is that you will build your network, learn best practices, better understand business principles, and the ROI on what you put in will give back X10!" -- Mark E. Christensen, A Few Trusted Resource
6. Plan it out
"Personal growth is a part of my weekly planning. I spend about five hours identifying the things I will do depending on my work or interests. I then make sure that I will apply what I learn by sharing the message, the successes, the failures, and the outcomes with people I care about. Every step of this planning process helps make 'personal growth' a reality." -- Tracy L. Bullock, Bullock Training & Development
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7. Invest in growth
"I firmly believe learning never stops. I invest in my learning the obvious way with plenty of books and articles that I share with my team and encourage them to read as well. I also invest in growth—for myself and everyone on my team—by attending intensive learning workshops and conferences. The institutions that have had the most impact on my life are Wizard Academy and Rapport Leadership International, both of which many of our employees have attended as well. Investing in personal growth is critical to professional growth, and the health of my small business. The more aware I become, the more I focus on being the best version of myself that I can be. That translates every day into being a great leader for my team and our customers." -- Patrick Sullivan Jr., Jigsaw Health
8. Attend trainings
"I set aside time in the calendar every month to attend webinars, seminars or events that will expose me to new ideas or systems. Additionally, I read through at least eight to 10 new books each year on various business and personal development topics. By personally improving who I am, and developing new skills, I am able to increase the value I add to our team when I bring in new ideas and concepts." -- Nicole Spracale, Coaching & Consulting
9. Mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical growth
"I focus on growth in four main areas: mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical. I have a devoted practice to each of these areas. I find the more I grow in these areas, the more effective I am in my work. Personal growth is the precursor for professional growth." -- Brian Mohr, Mohr Impact Group
10. Stay challenged
"For me, it is ensuring that I am continuously staying challenged and learning new things. The job that I do now looks much different from a few years ago, and so I have had to adapt and learn the best way to approach each unique challenge. To further invest in myself, I am constantly reading management, hiring, or other related business books to help refine my thinking on a variety of topics." -- Matt Blake, FanSided
