being a business woman

Learning never ends. In spite of having many leadership positions for a couple of decades, my business development is quite fledgling. I have dabbled in direct selling and network marketing and have dipped into self-employment, but in spite of this, I have been more like a hobbyist than a true business woman.

Enter the job of managing a bookstore, a bonafide business where I am getting a crash course in the financial and record-keeping side of things and it really, really matters what I know and what I do and how. I have done good things for the bookstore at Ambrose University College (e.g. improved layout, refined processes, new customer reward program), but if I want to do better I need some professional development.

My boss and I have been talking about training options. Recently, I attended an information night at Mount Royal University for their Small Business Certificate. Students can take individual courses or the complete program. I would love to take the whole thing, but cannot right now. Turns out Brendan (my boss) has the BA in Small Business and Entrepreneurship from Mount Royal, and we have lots of business and finance textbooks in our store, so I proposed an independent study program where I read and write reports and then we discuss what I’ve learned. We start with a hefty tome called Financial Accounting — a little light reading.

Not only will my new knowledge and skills bring increased success in the bookstore, it will influence my ability to develop Siretona Creative and to coach other women who want to be more than hobbyists. Like Kathleen McMillan who wrote this in her Christmas letter:

I continue to work on marketing and writing my children’s book series. I have learned so much this year including that I quite like being a business woman. It will be no surprise to anyone who knows creative people that I hate anything financial but I am looking forward to getting help and learning more about that from a friend* this year.

Last week Kathleen came to Calgary for a couple of days. She gave presentations at McKenzie Towne School on Wednesday, and we spent Thursday morning having a business meeting. We also both purchased a book from Ambrose Bookstore called Building a Dream: A Canadian Guide to Starting Your Own Business. It’s a workbook and it’s Canadian, so helpful on a number of levels in developing our businesses, Siretona Creative and Open Eyes Books.

*Note: this friend is an accountant Kathleen met and worked with on a preschool fundraiser.