Keep Your Business Relevant and Thriving Through Education

Socrates once wisely said, “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” 

As humans, we are always evolving and learning something new. When we stop growing, we stop truly living. Aside from traditional academic education, there is no end to the possibilities for growth within business organizations; whether it’s professional development for your employees or yourself, or a new certification that will take your business to the next level.

It’s easy to remain complacent and get bogged down by the day-to-day dealings that take place within the walls of our organizations (and beyond). However, you wouldn’t go to a doctor for a specialty if you didn’t know that he or she was educated on the most current and accurate information, would you? The same is true for business owners and their employees. How can we be sure that we’re offering the best products, services or customer service to our customers or clients if we aren’t continually trying to better ourselves through educational opportunities?

I am grateful for the opportunity to see these educational opportunities grow individuals daily in my profession. At the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, we have varied sized businesses that take advantage of our learning tools, whether it’s to learn how to network properly, how to have a successful ribbon cutting, how to plug in to our organization or most importantly, how to create lasting relationships that will encourage new business. 

We are one of many great organizations in Brevard County that provide an educational platform for businesses in all phases of their life.  

My top five reasons for continuing business education:

1. Increased yield. If employees and their leaders are well trained in the most current information pertaining to their industry, productivity and efficiency increase.
2. Employee morale. If your team is well coached, they are going to feel more confident in their daily activities, once again contributing to the bottom line and boosting employee retention. 
3. Cross training. I am a firm believer in cross training and while it might take me or someone else on our team twice as long to do the same tasks, we feel more confident knowing that we’re all capable to pull everything together. (And just in case one of us wins the lottery.) 
4. Reduced errors. Having a well-rounded knowledge of your area of expertise helps to eliminate mistakes and downtime. 
5. Desire and sense of purpose. When you engage with peers for the purposes of education, it ignites a new fire in your spirit for what you do, benefiting everyone. 

There’s no question, the best way to keep your business relevant, thriving and successful is through education. 

Jennifer Sugarman, President and CEO of the Cocoa Beach Regional Chamber of Commerce, is a busy working Millennial mom to son, Emmett. She formed the Cocoa Beach Chamber’s Young Professionals Group in 2016, currently serves on the board for United Way of Brevard and is an active member in Brevard County’s business community.

Read more articles in our DIGITAL MAGAZINE.