Observation Over Education: How I Learned Business Before the Classroom

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The Power of Watching and Listening

Most people think business starts with a degree. But real business starts with watching how things work. You can learn more from a street corner than a classroom if you pay attention.

I learned that early. Some people chase lessons. Others notice them. The best entrepreneurs do both—but in the right order. They observe first. Then they study.

That’s how Paul Kaulesar, a real estate broker based in West Palm Beach, built his career. He didn’t start with capital or formal training. He started by watching his parents fix and flip houses in Queens, New York. “My mom would drive through a block and spot three houses that were about to go up for sale,” he said. “She could tell by the overgrown lawn or the cracked driveway.”

Those small details became his foundation for learning. Before he stepped into a business program, he had already spent years observing how money, property, and people moved.

Real Lessons Don’t Always Come With a Textbook

Education is valuable. But observation gives you context. You can memorize definitions of “market cycles” or “consumer behavior.” But if you’ve never seen a family make an offer, or a contractor underquote a job, it’s all theory.

Street-level learning sticks because it’s personal. You don’t forget what you see, smell, or feel. You remember the noise at an open house. You remember how people act when they’re excited—or nervous.

“I learned business by standing in the middle of it,” Kaulesar said. “Not just reading about it.”

He watched how deals fell apart and why. He noticed who handled stress well and who didn’t. That kind of knowledge doesn’t live in charts—it lives in people.

Observation Builds Instinct

Every business person needs instincts. But instincts don’t come from gut feelings. They come from data your eyes collect over time.

Observation builds a kind of memory. You start noticing patterns: when neighborhoods shift, when buyers hesitate, when sellers get emotional. You begin to read people and places like code.

That’s how the best entrepreneurs avoid big mistakes—they’ve already seen versions of the problem before.

Research backs this up. A Stanford study on experiential learning found that people retain 75% more information when they learn by doing or observing compared to reading or listening alone.

You can study for years and still miss the small things that make or break a deal. But if you’ve been in the room while decisions happen, you start seeing the structure underneath success.

Learning by Looking: Everyday Business Lessons

You don’t need a high-powered mentor to start learning. You just need curiosity. The world is full of real business lessons if you’re paying attention.

1. Study Transactions in the Wild

Watch how people buy things. Listen at coffee shops, hardware stores, or open houses. Notice what makes someone say yes—or no.

2. Observe People Who Sell Naturally

Some people don’t even know they’re good at sales. The server who remembers your order. The neighbor who always borrows tools and returns them with a story. That’s social intelligence in motion.

3. Pay Attention to Timing

Timing is everything. If you notice when things move—seasonally, emotionally, or financially—you’ll get ahead. Watch for when the “busy” hours hit. See how prices fluctuate. That’s business, live.

“My parents didn’t have forecasts or fancy charts,” Kaulesar said. “They had timing. They could see when an area was about to wake up.”

When Education Enhances Experience

After years of practical learning, Paul decided to sharpen his tools. He completed Harvard Business School’s Disruptive Strategy and Negotiation Mastery programs. But what made those lessons stick was the experience he already had.

Education worked because it added structure to what he’d lived. It gave words to patterns he’d already seen.

That’s how education should work—it should confirm and refine what you’ve already practiced. Not replace it.

If you study too early, you risk memorizing without meaning. But when you’ve observed long enough, every new idea connects to something real.

Action Steps: Training Your Observation Muscle

You can train yourself to see the world like a business. Here’s how:

1. Keep an “Observation Log”

Write down one real-world business lesson every day. It could be how a store displays products or how a coworker handles conflict. Over time, you’ll build a library of practical insight.

2. Ask “Why” Three Times

When something works—or doesn’t—ask why. Then ask why again. By the third question, you’ll usually find the real cause.

3. Watch More, Talk Less

Observation isn’t passive. It’s active listening. Spend a week focusing on what people do instead of what they say. You’ll learn how decisions actually happen.

4. Study One Street or Business Type

Pick one local street or one type of business—say, barber shops or coffee stands. Watch how they operate. Notice what attracts customers and what drives them away.

5. Reflect Before You React

When something surprises you in business, don’t rush to fix it. Observe first. Gather signals. See how people respond. Then act.

Observation Is Free—But Priceless

Learning by observation costs nothing. It’s available to everyone. It doesn’t require credentials or connections. You just need time and patience.

The people who watch before they act usually make fewer mistakes. They invest smarter. They understand timing better. And they adapt faster when things change.

“Observation is free, but it’s worth more than any course,” Kaulesar said. “If you learn to see before you spend, you’ll always be ahead.”

Final Thought: Watch, Then Learn

Education is powerful—but it’s most useful after you’ve seen how things work. The classroom can explain what your eyes already know.

Start by watching your world. Study people, movement, timing, and tone. Learn how things flow when no one’s teaching.

Business isn’t a subject—it’s a story happening around you every day. And if you learn to read it, success stops being theory and starts becoming instinct.