So I’m 21 attending college and in a year I’ll declare my major. I want to major in some type of business degree but I’m not sure which one to choose. I ultimately want to have my own window cleaning business and generate at least 100k revenue. Hopefully around 60k profit. I know what you’re thinking “If you want to be a business owner then why are you going to college?” I just want a backup plan and get a business education from college. I want to do both so why not? I figure I won’t grow the business as much yet but I will slowly over the next couple years. So better than not growing it am I right? I’m leaning on a marketing degree to learn about SEO and email marketing. Any suggestions?
I started immediately after graduating with a business degree blah blah blah
Honestly, not much applied from theory as it’s all global or much larger sized theory and operations. Sure you’ll pick up some skills which will help and gain experience in many random ways.
If you are dead set on school, and I am not discouraging it, why not a leadership program or entrepreneur program?
3 Likes
You are better off spending time searching/DIY when it comes to SEO… marketing courses barely skim the surface.
Honestly, the two areas I learned from most?
- Supply Chain Mgt/Logistics (it becomes a whole way of thinking)
- Accounting
4 Likes
If you spend 2 or 4 years getting an SEO degree, everything will have changed by the time you get your degree.
Marketing, thats a better plan.
Besides, you don’t want to get into SEO. The market is way overcrowded with numbnuts selling BS for 1/4 of the price of what you spent $100k getting a degree in.
Trust me, I’m a SEO guy. I see it every day.
2 Likes
I agree with @JfromtheD regarding Supply Chain. That entire field is in essence the study of efficiency. Which is essential in business.
Another good option would be Psychology. If you know how to deal with people then you win at the game of life in every aspect.
3 Likes
Thanks, will consider.
What’s supply chain a major? I never heard about that.
Thanks.
I never heard about supply chain. What do you know about it? And yes psychology isn’t a bad idea also.
My wife has a Master’s Degree in Manufacturing Management and Supply Chain.
Alot of her courses had to do with case studies of small and large companies. How they improved productivity in various areas. Whether reducing time to get a product to a customer; or reducing maw material wasted in the manufacturing process; or reducing amount of time raw material sat in the warehouse before being used; etc.
She’s much smarter than I am.
2 Likes
I am in college currently. Only my first year but I’ve taken upper level classes that people usually take I their 2nd and 3rd year. Currently my major is entrepreneurship. I’ve only taken one entrepreneur class and honestly it’s pretty useless. It’s pretty much all common sense or the topic is so broad that you really can’t utilize it.
I am also taking a marketing class. The teacher doesn’t really care about the book or actual work. He pretty much just talks the whole class. He focuses on relating terms that are in the book into real world scenarios. He actually applies what we are learning. Mostly it’s for like Tesla or Honda or something like that but there are small pieces of information that would actually help someone like a window cleaner.
Also, have you started window cleaning yet? Probably don’t want to try and plan your career out if you haven’t tried it yet.
Community college could be another option. If you do window cleaning as a career you won’t need a degree from some big college to get a job. You could go to community college, maybe learn a little that could help out but also spend less and get a degree as your backup plan.
Just my thoughts, good luck.
I disagree. A Masters is the new GED. MBA’s are a dime a dozen. But…if one will persevere to the four year degree, down the road it will be the difference between being the supervisor/ manager and the laborer…for life. If you make a successful WC business, you can sell it. Make it huge, it could be a million dollar sell. It’s that piece of paper that makes the difference. Get it while you’re young and get it over with. There is a saying about taking the Bar. “Do it once, do it right, never take it again.” Food for thought from a laborer for life with 2 minutes of college. 
The primary issues facing the vast majority of us in the industry are not solved by higher education.
9 Likes
In my experience most people in the service business arena didnt go to collage. Not saying it’s a bad idea but there might not be too much helpful advice here. You might have better luck asking on a collage type forum. But I wish you the best of luck. If you really want to get a jump on the ball just start your business now. By the time you graduate you’ll have some experience ans nothing beats that.
1 Like
that doesn’t always work out.
because you were always a laborer doesn’t mean with a paper you would’ve been a manager thats kinda silly thinking.
i started working in peoples yards and at junkyards at 10yrs old doing whatever i could.
dropped out of school at 15 after only an 8th grade education. ive only made minimum wage in early teenage yrs and that wasn’t long.
went from a laborer to packagin lead too crew leader too forklift too quality control too dispatch too providing paperwork batches for our construction builds too designer all for a construction company. started at $14k 2000 too $55k/2008 in my early twenties not bad in our town.
but what ive learned from real world experience we do far better now. during our design days my engineer boss was taking work from other designers who were “educated” and giving their projects too me. the difference? real world experiences unlike them i hand my hands on every aspect of ordering the packages too pulling the material to building and packaging for delivery.
im of the philosophy that in most instances real life experiences and proper applications will far greatly benefit someone in any given career field.
obviously this isn’t applicable too be a recognized health professional or legal representative
just my opinion
3 Likes
I went to college for 2 hours. I left because A: I never took my SATs and they dropped me in remedial classes, which were way below my “level” and B: I already had a successful “business” at the time.
My personal opinion, college is not the answer for most people that want to be their own man.
1 Like
I only stayed cause I wanted the bong my profs would hand me at graduation.
Seriously happened.
2 Likes
Oh Washington State lol
1 Like
They gave you a bong?
You apparently don’t know Dave 
2 Likes
