Having the opportunity to teach and witness children learn and master new concepts is one of the most rewarding things to watch. There are few other experiences that can compare to witnessing someone understand a concept for the first time. But the wonders and rewards of teaching don’t stop there. In fact, teaching a group of young students can actually teach you so much about yourself.

Leading a classroom of students teaches you not only how to organize, manage, and influence a group of impressionable youths, but there are things you will learn from your students you wouldn’t be able to learn from anyone else. Not to mention, you will learn lessons in your classroom that will apply to nearly every other part of your life. In fact, teaching can you prepare you in ways you may have never expected. Here are 5 ways teaching can prepare you for business ownership.  

Patience goes a long way

Patience is a necessity in practically any endeavor in life. When it comes to teaching a classroom or conducting a business, your patience will likely get tested day in and day out. Whether you’re teaching a student to sound out words who is first learning to read or you’re a new business owner learning how to develop an asset for the first time, patience with others and yourself is a necessary skill to master and use frequently. However, it’s so important to remember that learning any new skill, especially one as valuable as patience, takes time and can’t be rushed.

Mistakes are wonderful opportunities to learn

Failure is an inevitable part of life, but it’s necessary to fail in order to learn and grow. There a few places in life where mistakes and failures are quite as common as in a classroom. When a student learns anything for the first time, the chance of immediate success is slim. Likewise, a teacher learns the most effective methods of instruction through trial and error. You have to be able to adapt to what works for each student and each classroom, and running into mistakes along the way is just a part of the process. In business ownership, mistakes are just as common. You have to learn to accept your shortcomings if you want your business to succeed because, if you evaluate what went wrong and why, each mistake becomes a unique opportunity to learn.  

Asking for help is key

Sometimes asking for help is hard to do because it can often be confused as a sign of weakness. And as you get older and more experienced, admitting you need help is harder and harder to do. That’s why the classroom is one of the most refreshing places to learn because most young children aren’t afraid to seek help when things get tough. And everyone, new business owners included, can learn something about asking for help when you need it.

Looking for what’s going right is always better than looking for what’s going wrong

In working with anyone in life, it’s always better to be optimistic rather than the opposite. When teaching children new skills, it’s important to point out their successes and slowly move them to build on their strengths before you mention any of their weaknesses. Likewise, when dealing in business, it’s crucial to take the same approach with the people you work with in order for positive change to occur.

Work in your strength zone

As a teacher, it’s always helpful to look for qualities that allow your students to shine in the classroom. Whether one child is a natural leader and could lead the classroom in a game or another student was more creative and could help decorate the bulletin board, it’s important to use your students’ strengths to make them feel valuable and special. For successful business ownership, finding the strengths of people you lead and building on those qualities gives them a similar kind of confidence.

As a teacher, you can learn so much about yourself and about life. But leading a group of young students can also equip you with a skillset that can be applied to business ownership and beyond.