In our small business management course we provide you with all the information you need to write a business plan so you can successfully start and operate a small business. We even cover things like developing marketing strategies — like telemarketing, for instance — but at our last breakfast meet-up, I discovered there’s one thing you can’t learn online: confidence.

We wrote about the kind of confidence American Idol contestants have and how to be an entrepreneur, often you need to have this similar brand of confidence, too.

At our recent Australian Small Business Centre meet-up nothing reiterated the need for confidence more than a fellow entrepreneur who was losing faith in her latest venture.

Too Little Confidence; Giving Up Too Soon

Although this business woman had all foundations to make her new venture a success — a good idea, a great database of potential customers to market this idea to — she was lacking the confidence she needed to make it a success.

Arriving at the meet-up last week, she was ready to throw in the towel; convinced she just needed to find herself an easy out.

But as she discussed the problems she was facing with her venture and how she felt she lacked the ability to overcome them, it became clear that the only thing she was lacking was confidence.

As each of the other entrepreneurs offered their advice — which ranged from finding ways to continue on with her venture, to finding the most profitable and lucrative exit strategy — something remarkable happened: her confidence returned.

While the fate of her business is still to be determined (we’ll keep you posted), one thing is sure: she left the breakfast meet-up with the confidence she needed to decide how she should proceed.

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So while our small business management course cannot teach you confidence, interacting with other entrepreneurs can. It can give you the confidence to persevere even when you feel like giving up.

Weekly Breakfast Meet-Ups

It’s for this exact reason that the Australian Small Business Centre holds its weekly breakfast meet-up: to give you the opportunity to  interact with other entrepreneurs that no amount of studying (online or otherwise) can offer.

If you are a small business owner or are about to take the plunge and start your own business, we welcome you to join us at our Tuesday morning meet-up in Lane Cove.