Business in the past allowed for companies to formulate a unique (not to mention expensive) way of operating, and then worked to “perfect” those methods. These were the days when we flew cross country to business meetings and made telephone calls for yes/no questions. Those days are over. Now we log online for international meetings, and still have the capability to multitask on our computers doing any number of things beyond the task at hand.
As a small business you are likely to find yourself in a market where there are many competitors (big and small) that you are constantly looking to gain an edge over. Keep in mind during your search the shelf life of your own knowledge. How long are the ways you do things going to stay relevant? How long will your methods be the most cost-effective, or at least effective enough to keep you competitive? 
These are valuable questions not to be overlooked as much of “Generation Y” enters the business world with a head full of steam and a firm grip on technology. As a business owner you have to constantly keep your eyes open to learning new techniques for completing tasks, along with properly integrating those techniques into your current daily operations.
But how do you do this? Is there technique in learning new techniques?
There is really only one answer, and it’s a lot like learning to skydive. You can’t be scared; you simply have to jump and go. You have to do a lot of preparation before you can ever jump out of a plane. There is a class and practice session that you have to pass first.
With an exponentially increasing amount of change and learning happening today, it must be a part of every business model to constantly introduce ourselves to what the world comes up with. We have to teach ourselves how to learn new technologies and methods to make our businesses run smoother, faster, and more efficient in order keep from systemizing and idleing our engine. We have to dedicate time to reading what others (especially professionals) have to say.
As we progress further into the future the ways we do things will only get faster with more being done in less time. Following the same logic, the need for learning and keeping up is only going to be more and more important. Brace yourselves entrepreneurs and business owners as the dial on the info treadmill is getting cranked up faster than ever.
