When I was a contractor in my family business, I would travel around the country to attend seminars, workshops and trade association meetings. I traveled internationally to trade shows and to interact with other contractors there. The knowledge I picked up in these classes was very valuable. But, so was the knowledge I gained talking with other contractors during class breaks, at dinner and hanging around the bar. This is where the real learning took place.
There is no replacing the ability to ask another contractor, who you don't compete with day-to-day, how they are managing to overcome the many challenges we, as contractors, face.