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.