Is Business Management Right For Me?

Business management involves a wide range of different types of tasks, where sometimes you’ll work alone and sometimes you’ll work as part of a team, and it can be a challenging and rewarding career. However, before you commit to working in this field, it’s a good idea to do some research in order to gain a better understanding of exactly what this job involves, and whether it is a good fit for your skills and personality. This article contains information about some of the things to consider if you’re thinking about a career in business management. 

What is a Business Manager?

A Business Manager is a leader who supervises the personnel and operations of a department or organization. They work to maintain productivity, efficiency, and organization, and to help the company achieve its goals. They also help improve overall performance and find new opportunities for growth and improvement. A small company might have only one Business Manager, while a larger company might have a number of them. Some Business Managers specialize in a specific area such as marketing, sales, or administration.

A Business Manager typically takes responsibility for a wide range of different tasks. These vary depending on the industry they work in and the company they work for, however, in general, this position involves four main aspects. One is planning, which means setting future goals and making a plan for achieving them. The second is organizing tasks and resources so that business plans can be implemented. A third part of business management is leading employees. Finally, Business Managers are responsible for controlling the operations of a business, which means keeping track of how it is performing and making any changes that are needed.

Why Become a Business Manager?

Business management is a high-paying career and experts predict that it will have strong future job growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a government agency that collects U.S. labor market statistics and releases analyses of those statistics. It reports a strong job outlook for all management jobs. It says, “Overall employment in management occupations is projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations from 2022 to 2032. About 1.1 million openings are projected each year, on average, in these occupations due to employment growth and the need to replace workers who leave the occupations permanently.” According to the agency, “The median annual wage for this group was $116,880 in May 2023, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $48,060.”

As a Business Manager, you may have access to a variety of different types of job opportunities in a range of industries, which is one thing that lots of people like about this job. Business Managers work in many different places because most types of business need managers. A Business Manager helps a business create goals and meet those goals, and also helps keep employees motivated and productive. This job can mean the difference between a business that thrives and one that does not.

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Are You Organized and Good at Juggling Multiple Tasks?

Business Managers are responsible for overseeing the operations of a business and they are also responsible for supervising the people that work there. Altogether, this includes a lot of different tasks. Some of the things that a Business Manager might need to do in a typical day include training employees, managing schedules, monitoring resources, resolving problems, reviewing financial data, and making plans for future growth.

Most Business Managers stress that this role means juggling a lot of different tasks. They say that in order to do so successfully, it’s important to stay organized and to get those tasks done rather than letting them accumulate. Many Business Managers suggest having a system or schedule to help with organization. In addition, they say that it’s important to be able to delegate tasks to other team members. 

Do You Have Good Leadership Skills?

A Business Manager leads a business or department and is responsible for the group of people who work there. As a result, strong leadership skills are essential. Some of the specific leadership-related tasks that a Business Manager is responsible for include: training employees, resolving conflicts, motivating and inspiring team members, encouraging collaboration, and coordinating day-to-day activities.

While some people may have stronger natural leadership skills than others, most experts agree that leadership skills can be learned. In an article titled, “10 Essential Leadership Skills To Develop,” Indeed provides some tips on improving your leadership skills. It says, 

• “Seek out resources about leadership (books, podcasts, workshops)
• Participate in leadership training both in person and online
• Become a leader of an existing group (e.g., a church group, book club or sports team)
• Start a new group or team
• Study leadership styles you admire and learn how to emulate them in your work
• Find a mentor who can help you set goals toward becoming a better leader”

Are You Good at Communicating?

Communication is also a critical part of business management. This includes both verbal and written communication. Strong communication can help a team work more effectively and can help prevent conflicts or misunderstandings. It can also help a business meet its goals and operate successfully. In a Forbes article titled “8 Tips For Better Communication Skills,” the author insists, “The ability to communicate effectively might be your most critical skill as a leader.”

Like leadership, communication can be improved. The Forbes author suggests a number of different ways to do so. First, she says, “You can start by approaching all your communications mindfully—always paying close attention to what you are saying, and how. Observe how others around you communicate, and the reactions—both positive and negative—that they elicit.” Some of her other suggestions include always making an effort to be clear and concise in what you say, preparing what you want to say ahead of time, being mindful of your nonverbal communication, and being an active listener. 

Do You Have the Vision to Help the Company Grow?

In addition to overseeing daily operations and ensuring that the business runs smoothly, Business Managers need to focus on constantly trying to help the business improve and grow. To do this, they gather and analyze data and make and implement plans for the future. Some specific tasks related to this part of business management are:

• Conducting research on market trends
• Analyzing financial data
• Understanding workflows
• Analyzing customer feedback
• Designing and implementing business plans
• Looking for investment opportunities

Do You Have Strong Computer Skills?

In recent years, computer applications have become an increasingly important part of business management and are often relied on to organize and analyze many different types of information, and as a tool for collaboration. The specific applications that you’ll use will depend on your job, however, there are some common types of software:

• Financial and accounting applications. These are commonly used to track and manage a company’s finances. They can help you save time and reduce errors. They also make it easy to analyze your information. For instance, you can compare your goals and your actual performance. Finally, financial and accounting applications make it easy to share information with others and for a team to collaborate. Quickbooks is a popular accounting application.
• Customer relationship management applications. These types of applications are used in businesses that deal with clients and can help you manage and analyze customer data. They can help you gain a better understanding of your customers and build a better relationship with them. Salesforce is a popular application for customer relationship management software.
• Project management applications. Project management applications are commonly used for managing projects of all sizes. They contain a variety of tools to make the process easy. For instance, they can help you manage resources, track schedules and budgets, and monitor progress. They also allow collaboration among multiple team members. Microsoft Project is one popular project management application.
• Data analytics applications. Data analytics is becoming increasingly important to almost every business. Data analytics applications allow a business to get a better understanding of many different things, such as what its customers want, how the business is operating, and how it can do better. Tableau is a visual data analytics platform that allows users to see and understand their data better and is used by many different businesses. 

Do I Need a Degree to Become a Business Manager?

In the past, a college degree in business management or a related field has been the traditional way to get into this field, but in recent years, a growing number of employers have begun to realize that a college degree doesn’t necessarily equate with the ability to do this job well. Instead, they are finding that some college graduates are not good matches and that there are many people without college degrees who are good matches. Rather than simply looking for employees who have a college degree, many employers have begun to focus on finding people who have the skills and experience that will allow them to get the job done well, whether they have a degree or not. Wall Street Journal reporter Lauren Weber discusses this in a February 27, 2024 podcast. She says, “It's called skills-based hiring, that's what this approach is known as. So that might mean . . . [that companies use] different types of assessments to really try to determine whether someone has the communication skills, or the writing skills, or the teamwork skills, or the technical skills, that you're looking for. So it does change the way companies have to think about their hiring process.” With many companies lessening their focus on degrees, it is definitely possible to get into business management without a degree.

There are actually a number of benefits to pursuing a career in business management without earning a degree. One of the biggest is that this method is likely to be far more affordable and less time-consuming than college. Most college degrees require a significant time investment--at least a couple of years, and usually longer--and they cost tens of thousands of dollars. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average price of attending a four-year college ranges from $14,700 to $24,600, depending on whether it is a public or private college. In contrast, the price of a bootcamp or certificate course--which is another popular way to prepare for a career in business management--is usually no higher than $20,000 or $30,000 and most take only a matter of weeks or months to complete.

Learn the Skills to Become a Business Manager at Noble Desktop

Noble Desktop is a New York City-based school that offers a wide variety of business classes, both in person--at its Manhattan facility--and in a live online format. Courses include comprehensive, hands-on bootcamps and certificate programs, which are designed to help you master all the skills that you’ll need in order to work as a business manager. Noble also runs a number of shorter courses where you can spend a day or two learning essential business skills like financial modeling or Excel. This school is licensed by the New York State Education Department.

• One popular Noble Desktop option is the “MBA” Business Certificate. This course is an “MBA-style” program and it includes some of the skills taught in MBA programs. In this class, you’ll learn tools and strategies for finance, project management, marketing, and data analysis. You’ll also learn about the practical applications of generative AI, and will get access to a self-paced class that covers the basics of business insurance, employment law, and business law. This class includes the option to take electives that match your specific area of interest. Finally, it comes with eight one-on-one mentoring sessions.
• Another popular certificate program is the Data Analytics Certificate. In this course you’ll learn about gathering, wrangling, analyzing, and visualizing data, and you’ll work on a number of real-world projects. Both predictive and prescriptive analytics are covered, in addition to Python, Excel, Tableau, and SQL. All students also receive eight one-on-one mentoring sessions, which can be used to work on challenging concepts or for resume and portfolio advice.
• Noble Desktop also runs many different business-related bootcamps. The Project Management Bootcamp is a popular option. This class is designed for students who want to learn more about project management. It is a combination of the school’s Level I and Level II classes and is offered at a discount. When you take the Project Management Bootcamp, you’ll learn the five phases of project management and will receive a slide deck that contains a variety of exercises. You’ll also learn about Waterfall, Critical Path, and Agile methods of project management, including popular Agile frameworks. You’ll receive a certificate of completion at the end of the class.
• Another bootcamp option is the Chat GTP & AI for Business Bootcamp. This course is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to utilize AI in your daily business tasks. You’ll learn how to create effective prompts, manage conversations, and use advanced features like memory settings. You’ll also learn about the ethical considerations of AI. In addition, the course focuses on ways to use AI for task management, communication, and project planning. You’ll learn about automating repetitive tasks, optimizing schedules, and improving collaboration and administrative workflows.
• Noble also offers many shorter classes focused on a number of different business skills. For example, it has a variety of short Excel classes: Excel Level 1,Level 2, and Level 3. Level 1 is focused on getting familiar with the interface, entering data, using essential formulas and functions, and creating charts. You’ll also learn how to format and print. Level 2 covers splitting and joining text, adding data validation, named ranges, database functions, adding logical statements, and using Pivot Tables. In addition, you’ll learn to use statistical functions and create advanced combo charts. In Level 3, instructors cover advanced concepts including cell locking, auditing, hotkeys, formatting for calculating dates, advanced functions, advanced analytical tools, Pivot Charts, and advanced database functions.