Five things you won’t learn in business school

Business school will teach you a lot, but it won’t necessarily teach you those all-important life lessons that you get from experience.

By Craig Falck for Africa Report
Photograph: © Dmitriy Shironosov | Dreamstime.com

While you will get a thorough education at business school, there are a couple of things you won’t get in your curriculum. They’re called life lessons, and you’ll be expected to pick them up quickly when you’re in the business world. Here are five of the most common lessons you won’t be taught in business school.

1. You’ll be taught that nothing is handed to you on a plate. What you won’t hear is how hard it is to actually go out there and get customers. Unless you’ve got a business idea that sells itself (they do exist, but you won’t find them around every corner), expect to be starting early every day and finishing when the sun’s gone down. It’s up to you to take the bull by the horns and get out there into the business environment, make a name for yourself and get the customers coming to you.

2. Networking isn’t something that you can learn through textbooks; it’s a skill that needs to be honed over time. Business schools will emphasise how important networking is, but until you actually get out there and get hands-on with meeting people in the industry and getting your name out there, you won’t realise how difficult it is. Practice, as they say, makes perfect – and don’t be selective about who you network with. Chat to anyone and everyone who’ll listen, because you never know who’ll have contacts and know someone who could use your services…

3. Don’t go into business if you’ve got a small target. You need to think on a big scale and have big aspirations for your business. First things first, though – start small and meet your objectives. When you’ve done that, set newer, higher goals and expand business until you meet those. Then repeat and repeat and repeat until you’ve got the controlling share of the market.

4. You will need to adapt to changes in the business environment whether you like it or not. You may set out with one business goal in mind, but very few things stay as they are, and if you want to stay ahead of your competitors, you’re going to have to be willing (and able) to change tactics and objectives. This might mean slight changes or even complete, 180-degree reinvention.

5. Be proud of your achievements, your business and who you are, but don’t be cocky and have an ego. You won’t believe how destructive arrogance can be, especially since you won’t see it physically. Instead, market your business based on what you have accomplished and always treat your customers as though they’re your first customer – with professionalism, respect and the utmost courtesy.

No matter how much education you’ve had, nothing prepares you for the real world quite like the real world. You’ll need to land with your feet running and quickly learn some tough lessons if you’re going to succeed in the business world.