Got told I needed a business degree to run my own company. That's garbage.

Honestly, I started my pest control business 5 years ago with no degree and just $2,000 in savings. Everyone online kept saying I needed to take courses and get certified in management to actually make money. But I spent that $2,000 on a used truck and some basic equipment instead. Turns out learning on the job and asking other owners for tips worked way better than sitting in a classroom. Has anyone else skipped the formal education route and still made it work?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_wood25d ago

Not really though. A business degree teaches you stuff like cash flow forecasting and liability protection that most small owners figure out the hard way after getting sued or going under. I know a guy who skipped school, grew fast, then got wrecked by not understanding contracts and had to shut down. Meanwhile my cousin took two years of night classes while bartending and his shop has been solid for a decade. Formal education isn't everything but it's not garbage either, it just depends on what kind of business you're trying to run.

ryantorres5d ago

My buddy started a landscaping company right out of high school with zero business classes and he's pulling in six figures now. I tried the whole degree thing for two years at a community college and realized I was just wasting time and money learning stuff that didn't apply to real life. My first year running my own gig I made every mistake in the book but I fixed them by talking to people who actually did the work. That hands on learning stuck with me way better than any textbook ever did. Some of the most successful small business owners I know never even finished high school and they're crushing it. Formal education is just one path and it's definitely not the only way to figure things out.