Are you still trying to go it alone in your business? Not where you think your business should be by now? In this video, business coach and co-author of #1 Bestseller “The MINDstretch,” Dean Mercado, discusses one of the biggest problems business owners encounter and what to do about it.
This topic is a tough one for most small business owners in particular. They are thinking about bootstrapping their business, trying to go it alone. They’ve got broad shoulders, they’re tough, and they’re strong! They think I can take care of it all! I’m great at marketing! I’m great at sales! Or I’ll try and learn it, and I’ll do it.
Let me tell you. What I see going on out there is painful to witness at times. We get a lot of calls to have sales-oriented conversations. The only problem is that often by the time a small business owner calls us, it’s too late. They are already past that point, that point of no return. And that’s a really painful thing to see. It’s like rigor mortis has set in, not the most pleasant thing. And one of the most challenging things to do is suggest that maybe you know what, maybe it’s over. Maybe that’s the right course of action—As opposed to digging up some more money and allowing me to try and sell you something. It’s painful to watch, folks.
So the idea here is that you don’t need to go it alone. Find a way. Find leverage in your business. Find people you can partner with in different ways, and the creativity in you can maybe arrange those things gratis or on barter terms. Find a way!
Where there’s a will, there’s a way. I learned that from my ninth-grade Spanish teacher; it was written on the wall in my class. And that’s a long time ago! It said “querer es poder“. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. What does your will look like?
Let me give you an example. You put a baseball team on the field. In baseball, nine players go out on the field. If you put a team of one out there, you will get slaughtered all over the place! Then you will realize in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs, you could have had eight other people out on the field the whole time! You didn’t have to go it alone. It’s the same concept here. The idea is business is not meant to be a one-man sport. Think about it before it’s too late. Think about where you can find that leverage in your business—Where you can get assistance. It doesn’t mean that you need someone like me. Find what you need. It doesn’t need to be from within you. Seek out whatever it is you need help with and find a way to work something out—partner on things. A joint venture is a term or phrase we use all the time in our business.
Alright, so don’t wait until it’s too late. Find a way. Think about what are the eight players you could put on your field, and what do you need to do to make that happen? I share this message because I care, and I hope you get that!
7 Team Members Any Successful Entrepreneur Cannot Live Without
Being mentored by quite a few great business minds over the years, there was one concept that they all seemed to go on and on about repeatedly with me – and that was the concept and power of “TEAM.”
What are the 7 team members that a successful entrepreneur cannot live without?
Listen To The Author Read This Post
Duration: 4 minute, 02 seconds
For several years, I have to admit, I didn’t get it. I thought I was being clever and appropriately frugal… seemingly saving thousands of dollars in hard-earned cash by doing it all myself.
Sound familiar at all?
Starting as many entrepreneurs do with a Lone Ranger mentality, I was constantly pulling myself up by my bootstraps… in an endless struggle to make ends meet… always wondering what was going on here. I’m smart… I’m talented… I’m a good person… so why the struggle? This shouldn’t be this difficult. What’s the problem?
Well, in my case… and I know I’m not alone here… I was the problem! I was unknowingly standing in my way to success. I kept my business in its infancy stage by holding onto behaviors that no longer served me, just like a child who wants to do it themselves or the stingy child who holds their toys close and doesn’t want to share.
Sound familiar at all?
Now some powerful child-like behaviors bode well in business. Take imagination, for instance. Just imagine what’s possible for your business if you properly employ the concept of TEAM. Of course, now there are so many possibilities for team members that can help move you closer to your vision for your business; however, these seven seem to be a staple amongst many of the successful entrepreneurs I know:
1. Virtual Assistant to handle a variety of tasks that are not the best use of your time any longer. These tasks can range anywhere from doing research for you to sending out your newsletter each week.
2. Business Coach to lend overall business guidance and a non-biased, unemotional opinion. It is best if this team member is someone who has been where you want to be with your business.
3. Marketing Expert to help put together and potentially execute an overall marketing strategy for your business. It is best if this team member understands your industry and has an arsenal of marketing knowledge to provide you with an array of marketing strategies to choose from.
4. Webmaster to help you professionally take your business’ vision online. No, your 12-year-old nephew won’t suffice here… that is if you’d like to stay in business for long. So take care to choose a Webmaster who can effectively create and maintain your online presence.
5. Bookkeeper to keep your financial house in order. They will crunch your numbers, organize the paperwork needed to do your taxes, and produce reports for you to use in decision making.
6. Accountant to pick up where your bookkeeper leaves off. This team member should provide more specific guidance on how to keep more of and maximize your hard-earned dollars and handle your taxes for you.
7. Lawyer to help you protect your interests as your business grows. I know it’s sad, but protecting ourselves is a necessary evil.
So in closing, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but business is a team sport. Go it alone at your own peril! It’s not wise to think that it’s best to do it yourself… I don’t care what your financial situation is. If there is someone you can add to your team that can do it better, faster, or cheaper than you, do yourself a huge favor, and please consider them. That is, of course, so long as you use that time you’ve saved by hiring them to do something revenue generating.
Grab a complimentary copy of our newly revised 2023 Strategic Planner—a great tool to help “Get Your Year in Gear” in 2023!
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
