How Much Are You Investing in the Business of You?

Today, I attended a half-day workshop hosted by the Virginia Chapter of the National Speakers Association. The workshop was called “The Story Finder: How to Create New Stories in 10 Minutes or Less!” and was presented by a fantastic speaker named Ed Tate. As a first-time attendee, I only had to pay $47, yet I easily received at least 10 times the value of the workshop fee. Not only did Ed give us concrete tools to create compelling stories for our speeches, but he also dropped some valuable knowledge about the speaking business itself. I took so many notes today, my head is spinning LOL.

As I was making the drive from Richmond to Norfolk this morning, I reflected on how long it had been since I actually invested money into professional development for myself.

2012 has been the busiest year for me in terms of paid speaking engagements, with 22(!) on the books so far. I’m grateful that my speaking calendar has been so full this year. The one thing I didn’t build in very intentionally though, were opportunities to continue to enhance my skills as a speaker and coach.

Last year, I spent about $2,000 on coach and consultant training and I know my clients are better off because of it. But this year, I allowed myself to be so busy doing the work that I forgot how important it was to stay aware of ideas for how to do the work better. I neglected the very real fact that my business is ME. I AM Thurman Consulting. Therefore, I have to make sure I’m always well-prepared to do my best work.

Today, I had the pleasure of learning from some of the best in the speaking business. I consider it money well spent not only because I got so much value from the workshop, but because it reminded me of how important it is to invest in myself.

When was the last time you paid for a training to improve your business? Was it worth the time and money?

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