It’s Going To Take More Than You

It’s an especially vicious trait of entrepreneurs, the need to “do it myself.” Sometimes, it really feels required, “Only I can see my vision...” Or, sometimes we take it on, “Oh, give it to me, by the time you figure it out, I could have it done…” Or, sometimes we don’t trust, “I’ve been burned before. I don’t want that again…”
But the truth is, we can’t do it alone. Those visions you have of multi-millions or large corporate contracts or thousands of book sales, won’t happen because of just you alone. Entrepreneurs who believe that they can, often burn out or burn up, and lose their businesses anyway.
What’s an entrepreneur to do?
1) One of the first things you can do (and you’re not too small to do this) is to create an advisory board.
If you’re just starting your business or still emerging then this can be a small group (3-4) people who you trust, who understand your vision and can bring varying expertise to your quarterly meetings. Remember, this is business, choose wisely. This is not necessarily the place to have friends and family because they’re easy to recruit. You want people with a critical eye and functional knowledge.
As time goes on, you can formalized the board more, eventually moving to an actual board with fiduciary responsibilities.
2) The second thing you must know are your core strengths and weaknesses when it comes to running the business.
If you’re lousy at keeping your books, one of the first people you need to hire is a bookkeeper/accountant. More businesses get into trouble because they couldn’t keep up with the inflows and outflows of their cash. Hire talent, outsourced or part-time, in the beginning that will do for you what you hate or are ill-equipped to do.
3) The third thing you can do is to ASK UP; ask the experts. Be brave and reach out for help and assistance from people who are better and more experienced, or who can connect you to people who are.
You’d be surprised at how many people will give you 5-10 minutes of their time. Don’t be afraid to ask. Don’t be afraid to be a beginner. Vanity could kill your business.