No one needs an MBA to find out how to build a website and start running a profitable online business.  In fact, you can find just about everything you need to know for free on the Internet.  On the other hand, there is the old expression, “you get what you pay for.”  The time may come when you’re ready to move beyond the basic practical steps you need to keep your business going.  When you do, you’ll find yourself in a position to grow your business in ways you hadn’t thought of before.

New online entrepreneurs quickly pick up the basics of things like low cost hosting and joining an affiliate business program.  In fact, most of the things you need to know to grow an online business are available on how-to web pages, blogs, and information provided by your hosting company.

But to pull ahead of the pack and really make your business shine, you need to spend some time considering the big picture.  You need to consider doing some professional development to learn more about the market, entrepreneurship, business finances and technology, and even about yourself.  What drives you?  What are your long-term goals, for yourself and for your business?

There are a multitude of ways for you to proceed.  If you’re worried about the time and money required for professional development, don’t be.  Learning more about how online business—and online business owners—work need not be time-consuming nor expensive.

You can start just by borrowing a book from your public library.  Many public libraries actively purchase the latest titles on business, marketing, and entrepreneurship just for small business owners like you.  After spending most of the day in front of a computer monitor, you may find it a nice break to leave the office and spend some time with a book.

These books aren’t really meant to be read cover to cover, like a novel.  Rather, feel free to flip through them at will, leisurely taking in the parts that interest you the most.  The best of these books are laid out with graphics, headers, and other nagivation tools to help you get to the best parts fast.

Not your thing?  Consider a webinar, instead.  A webinar is a seminar that is held online.  Previously, you would have had to travel to a convention center or hotel if you wanted the interactive experience of a good business seminar.   If you were unwilling to travel, you would have been limited to those seminars that came to your location.   Since webinars are held online, you can attend any one you’re interested in from anywhere in the world.

There are free webinars as well as webinars that charge a fee to participate.  Sometimes, a free webinar is just a mask for a sales program; and, sometimes, a fee is just a waste of money.  There are good free webinars and bad free webinars; good fee-based webinars and bad fee-based webinars.

If you’ve been networking with your business colleagues on LinkedIn or another social network, make use of these resources.  If you find a webinar you’re interested in, go ahead and post it to your network and ask for opinions.  Some of your colleagues may be able to let you know which are the good ones.

Professional development can really energize you and open your mind to new possibilities for you and your business.  Whatever kind of experience you choose—a book, a conference, a webinar, a formal class—try to pick just one great idea from it and implement it into your business or your work life.  You’ll find the change refreshing.

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