Exploded View Of The IBLP, Part 5: Budget
Apr 26, 2012 Beer, Education & Training
Your Individual Beer Learning Plan, otherwise known as IBLP, is progressing nicely! Let’s cover Part 5 – Budget.
Ahh – the Money part of the plan. Some people say love makes the world go round, some say it’s money (We think it’s education, yet we’ll save that for another day.) Let’s dive head first into what can be a most sticky element – money invested in your pursuits.
Budget:
What’s realistic for your goals? We all have money for what we want to have money for. It’s called prioritizing. And we all do it differently based on both our head and our emotions. It’s a good time to examine your life budget since we’re assuming that, if you’re developing an IBLP, you are making it a part of your life, however large or small. What your dollar reality is is your own question to answer. We’d caution you to keep it in perspective – going back to why do you want to pursue your beer knowledge and to what end.
Your IBLP budget is part of the nuts & bolts of the plan
What’s your stretch goal? A stretch goal is one that is a few meters farther than your ‘goal.’ It’s the extra I-can-do-it oomph that finishers and finalists find when they think they’re at the end of their resources. You could think of it as extra credit too. The additional enhancements that will amplify and intensify your learning. Have at least one stretch goal. And when you accomplish that, make another one based on and fitting in with your overall plan.
How can you commit to your plan within the parameters of your funds? Personal budgets for an IBLP should absolutely come after your primary costs of living are solidly covered. Unless an IBLP is part of your professional development, it’s a secondary expense. And even if you’re a professional, keep it real. It’s beer. Yes, wonderful incredible and fascinating beer. It’s still simply beer. And yes I know that can mean a great deal to some. Just stay grounded.
Are there scholarships available? Some educational programs have opportunities to partially fund or facilitate beer learning per dollars. Cicerone, for example, had a superb sale to celebrate a milestone earlier this year. They provided incentives to the learning process with reduced monetary investment while staying true to the high quality of the program. Ask if you don’t know if there are possibilities to be taken advantage of – the worst a company can say is no. And a No is what you’ll for sure get if you don’t ask at all.
Are you ready to ask for help if it’s part of your plan? Asking for help is a sign of strength. By asking for assistance you open the door for myriad conversations, connections, and growth to happen. If you have your IBLP in order, when you ask you’ll be much more prepared to give an intelligent answer that may very well convince the party your asking to help you.
Almost everyone in the beer community and beer industry is open to helping others learn about beer. How you plan, progress, execute and continue is all on you. Use the IBLP to help your journey be successful.
Part 4: Plan
More to come
Tags: budget, IBLP, Individual Beer Learning Plan, location, plan, tools, Topics
Exploded View Of The IBLP, Part 4: Plan
Apr 25, 2012 Beer, Education & Training
Onward into the Individual Beer Leaning Plan (IBLP) with Part 4, your actual Plan.
Plan:
What’s the schema for making it happen? Sit down with your self and determine what you can and will do to accomplish the learning you want to make happen. A lot of life’s lessons are incidental. Make your IBLP purposeful and intentional and you’ll achieve your goals. A plan will guide you, it’s something you can modify and adapt as best fits your reality and it’s an important framework to have in place.
How will you plot out the tools you find that appeal to what you want to learn? We discussed tools a few posts ago so it’s time to review those that you wish to utilize and then see how and where they fit into your plan. Brainstorm a list of tools you want to use, making no restrictions on what you write down. The key to successful brainstorming is to let it all fly out of your head and onto paper. Then sleep on it. When next you approach that list of ideas, filter, sort and further organize your plan for success.
Is there transportation involved? There may be components of your IBLP that require no further action than to get to a computer. And there will be times when transporting yourself to push forward is required. Take a realistic look at how this part of the plan fits with your budget and goals. If you are studying with others this is a component that can be shared as well – carpool, bike rides to learning destinations, and the like.
Are there registrations and ‘paperwork’ to fill out? Invariably you may be asked to complete some forms, registrations or other ‘paperwork’ in order to utilize some of the tools available, like classes and certification courses for example. Keep it simple and also look for tools that require the minimum distraction while providing the biggest return of your time and resources.
Is the plan logical with your life and lifestyle? Reality sets in and can alter – and has – many a course. Be gentle with yourself while still being dedicated. Life Happens is a saying for a reason. Let it flow, consider Plan B’s along the way, and flex.
More to come
Tags: IBLP, Individual Beer Learning Plan, location, plan, tools, Topics
Exploded View of the IBLP, Part 3: Location
Apr 24, 2012 Beer, Education & Training, Something To Think About
Three down and more to go. Today we’ll talk about Location as it relates to your Individual Beer Learning Plan or IBLP.
As the old real estate adage saws, location location location is critical to property activities. And it’s most certainly a component on your IBLP as well. Having lived all over the country from towns of 200 to major metropolitan areas as well as the in betweens, location can be taken for granted or a struggle when you want to learn about something.
In the case of beer, we’re fortunate to have the internet (take you reading this post for example!). It’s unfathomable how much information is simply available on the net. Like any tool box though, seek out various instruments to facilitate your learning about beer.
Location:
Where are you looking for information for your IBLP?
Where can you find and get all the tools you need? We already mentioned the almighty internet. Seek out tools like books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and all topic specific publications you can get your mitts on. Even when you scan and return, you can learn. If you’re fortunate to have a research library close by or are visiting a town with one, go there. Topics, like people and relationships, can and do cross over and are interconnected in all sorts of ways.
Depending on the resources you seek, location will be easier of harder to figure out. Regardless, keep digging, calling on people who may be able to suggest, introduce or otherwise nudge you forward.
Are they close by or father away? Can you take a walk to get to what you want? Bike? Motorcycle or skateboard or bus? If you’ve got a beer study partner or group, then pool your efforts and take field trips to breweries, libraries, festivals and education events. The truly remarkable thing about studying in groups is that you learn exponentially, not just times whatever number of people there are present.
If they are farther away, the still super useful postal system of mail is an oft neglected method of learning and researching today. A paper copy of a request for materials, conversations or other goods is much easier to remember and access for some. You don’t need electricity or a charged battery to access a simple politely written letter for help.
How do you get to them – or get them to you? The circle of info flow – from your questions to a resource and back again – needs the least amount of resistance as possible. The easier it is for you to make progress, the more progress you’ll make. Sounds simple yet we too often block our own progress with silly things like procrastination and unorganization. Ensure the channels are clear and wiiiiiiide open to give and receive.
And once you get information you’re seeking, be very sure to thank the appropriate helper – whether the librarian in person or on the phone or email, author, writer, researcher, brewer, and friends. Everyone who helps deserves thanks.
More to come
Tags: IBLP, Individual Beer Learning Plan, location, resources
Individual Beer Learning Plan (IBLP)
Apr 5, 2012 Beer, Education & Training, Something To Think About
An Individual Beer Learning Plan or IBLP can be a superb part of the learning curve for consumers and professionals alike.
Plotting out the what you want to learn (topics), what is available to you to learn (tools), where it’s available (location), how you can go about accomplishing your goals (plan), what kind of investment it’ll take (budget), and who will you tap into (people).
Topics: What do you want to learn. The brewing process? Ingredients? Pairing tips? The herstory behind it all? Industry information? Consumer information? Do you want to get into beer as a profession? Do you want to be able to impress your friends with your knowledge?
Tools: What’s available to you? Are the resources online? Offline? At your local library? Are they hard publications you can pick up at your favorite local? Are they people to talk with and follow? What of classes and seminars? Conferences and tutorials one on one? Where can you volunteer to learn more while participating?
Location: Where can you find and get all the tools you need? Are they close by or father away? How do you get to them – or get them to you?
Plan: What’s the schema for making it happen? How will you plot out the tools you find that appeal to what you want to learn? Is there transportation involved? Are there registrations and ‘paperwork’ to fill out? Is the plan logical with your life and lifestyle?
Budget: What’s realistic for your goals? What’s a stretch goal? How can you commit to your plan within the parameters of your funds? Are there scholarships available? Are you ready to ask for help if it’s part of your plan?
People: The most critical item in your IBLP. Besides the commitment you make to your self, who will you contact? Who will you call, email or otherwise meet to help you into and through the process? How will you make sure to thank and show appreciation to those who help you out?
Learning about beer is as casual or intense as you wish it to be. Making a plan will be a productive and clarifying process to get you going on a topic you love already.
Caveat: It’s a slippery slope – this learning about beer! the more you get in, the deeper you usually want to go. Have fun sliding ~
Tags: budget, IBLP, Individual Beer Learning Plan, location, people, plan, resources, time, tools
Where Women Drink Beer (#3 of Series)
Aug 6, 2009 Education & Training
It seems that many people, regardless of gender, like to drink beer outside. Why is that?
Well, part of it seems to be regionally related. Said another way, people and definitely women in the focus groups, like to sit outside as weather permits.
Why? (feels like a 3 year old line of questioning)
Jennifer & Deidre enjoying a tasty beer outside
Because in some areas of the globe weather is not always ‘nice’. Nice being conducive to sitting outside. I’m not talking about the enthusiasts who will drink anywhere, under any atmospheric condition.
I’m addressing the average consumer female beer drinker. They like to sit out of doors, or be outside, to enjoy their beer.
Why? Because beer is a social beverage and generally when you’re sitting outside, you’re with company. And the social element is a really really big part of drinking beer for women.
That’s why.
In areas where you can sit outside most the year round, well, it’s still important. Perhaps not as amplified as those who live in different climates – including those who sit indoors due to really hot weather just as much as those who sit indoors because of really cold weather.
So when you think about where women can and will drink your beer, think about context of location, time of year and where they can do just that – sit outside, drinking beer.
Tags: drinking beer out of doors, location, relaxing, social element
