Why YOU Should Upskill
Upskilling is the process of learning additional skills in your job or business.
There are various ways to upskill, from independent learning to short courses and 1:1s. Upskilling can often be a quick and easy process that can benefit you and your business.
What are the benefits of upskilling?
Money-Saving
One of the benefits of upskilling as a small business or freelancer is that it’s cost-effective and could potentially save you a lot of money.
Upskilling in some areas of running your business, such as admin and finance, would mean that you may not need to hire someone to help you with those dreaded tasks. This will also help you to run your business more efficiently as you will become more experienced and skilled.
You may also want to consider other areas in your business where you could upskill, such as social media, digital marketing etc. However, in this case, it’s important to weigh up cost vs quality, as in some cases outsourcing certain tasks may be more effective than upskilling yourself.
Time-Saving
Upskilling may save you a lot of time. While developing your skills, you will also improve your efficiency and be able to complete tasks in a much shorter time scale.
For example, for tasks that may be more time-consuming for you, upskilling in this area will help you feel more confident and allow you to learn a more effective way to complete them. With technology ever-changing and evolving, new software and applications are always developing to aid you, and upskilling will enlighten you on this and teach you how to take advantage of it.
Opportunity to Grow
One of the biggest and most important benefits of upskilling is that it allows you to grow as a freelancer or a business.
Developing extra skills is an effective way to grow and gain more experience. Upskilling will improve the quality of your product/service and could even lead you to add extra services or products to your business. This will inevitably bring in more customers and clients.
Growing and Developing with Your Industry
In most industries, technology has brought a whole new level of development that is always growing. Upskilling will allow you to learn new ways of running your business and even help develop your services and products. You must stay current, on top of your game, and up to date with your competitors. It may even give you new ways to work, which could ease your workload.
A Refresh
Working for yourself is tough, and it’s completely normal to lose motivation and experience down periods with your business. When this happens, it’s important to keep going and work on getting back in love with your business; you don’t want all of your hard work in building your business to go to waste.
A great way to tackle this is by learning something new. Upskilling is not only about improving a skill; it can also help you create a new approach to your business and find a way or process that works much better for you. For example, if you’re struggling, a 1:1 session may be just what you need to reset and realign your priorities.
Ways to Upskill
There are many ways to upskill in your business or as a freelancer without it being too time-consuming or overwhelming:
1:1 Sessions: This is a great and most effective option for upskilling. Unlike courses and other upskilling techniques, 1:1 sessions give you information and advice 100% directed to you and your business.
Taking on a course: There are various types of courses out there ranging in size depending on what time you can give. Many online courses give you flexibility, allowing you to organise your time and complete it when possible. This could be something you dedicate to a weekend, or a few evenings during the week.
Reading: This may seem small, but anything that is improving your skills in your business is upskilling. Reading can be very effective, especially if you need to stay current in your industry. It’s a small task that can be completed in your own time, but it can make a huge difference.
Podcasts and Videos: This is another less time-consuming and less commitment method. Again, it's a great way to stay up to date with your industry and can easily be done in your free time.
If you find yourself tipping towards overworking and feeling overwhelmed, why not consider support from a virtual assistant, like Erin? Whether you need a hand with setting task reminders and document organisation or sending out invoices, get in touch to see how VA services from Bizzybee can help.
