I have no idea what I'm doing

If you've never had a formal business education (like an MBA or whatever) but you still run your own business ... join the club.

Most of us end up here through circumstance - made redundant, tired of working for an idiot, pursuing a dream, falling into a nightmare.

And somehow, we all muddle through.

But sometimes, it feels like there's extremely important things that we're ignoring. Like financial reports. Or ... something we don't even know exists yet. We read various business forums and we see people asking about things we've never even heard of. And it makes us feel like the amateurs we are.

Rather than getting lost and confused, it's time to get educated.

Here's a list of things that I found incredibly useful over the years.

• "The E-Myth Revisited" by Michael Gerber. It's a classic and for a reason - explaining how you can design a business that works for you, without driving yourself up the wall.
• "Profit First" by Mike Michalowicz. How to make sure that you pay yourself and earn a profit (even if it's just a small one) no matter how your business is doing.
• "The One Thing" by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan. The hardest thing for me is staying focussed on the task at hand. The One Thing explains how.
• "Growth Club" by ActionCoach. Every quarter, take a day out of your business to review where you've come from and decide where you want to go. The draw up a detailed plan to get there.
• BNI. A lot of people hate it. But it teaches you a lot - from standing up and presenting in front of a room full of strangers (and amend your pitch so it has the most impact), how to get sales (as the techniques you use to get referrals and invite visitors are the same ones you can use yourself in your sales process) and how to structure your business so you can measure how well it's doing (BNI is a franchise with an easy to follow system).
• Sleep. Get a good mattress and make sure you sleep enough. Not just so you can get enough done tomorrow, but also to keep you fit and well into old age.
• Get an advisor. A mentor. Or a coach. Because there will be times when you can't be arsed and you need someone to hold you accountable.

Hope that helps