Over the last several years, I’ve had the good fortune of spending time with management teams in several industries, helping them to become more effective leaders and communicators. Whenever I’m in those situations, I consider myself a student as much as a teacher. I don’t come from a corporate background, so learning how $100MM companies operate has been an eye-opening experience.
One lesson I’ve learned is to concentrate on what you’re really good at and delegate the rest to others. Because I’ve been a solo entrepreneur most of my life, I wore ALL the hats! I was in charge of sales, marketing, finance, accounting, merchandising, PR, customer service, and delivery of the product and service. If you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, you know EXACTLY what I’m talking about!
Not only is this exhausting, you’re not going to be GREAT at everything. In the classic book, The Entrepreneur Myth, author Michael Gerber warns readers that trying to do everything by yourself will end up limiting your success.
Instead, assess what you’re strengths and weaknesses are. Then concentrate on what you are best at and begin turning the rest over to others. But what if you don’t have the money to hire a bunch of staff? Right about here, people start feeling tight inside, so before I give you the solution, please do this…
1. Take a full, deep breath in through your nose, down to your belly, then slowly exhale.
2. Tell yourself, “I got this!” and “I live in an abundant world that’s full of possibility!”
3. Imagine the best possible scenario for your situation. Focus your attention on the outcome you want, rather than on all the reasons why it can’t work!
Once you access a more resourceful state of mind, then continue with the following…
You don’t need to hire employees. Instead, think about hiring contract workers who you can hire out for a specific job or task. There are plenty of people who love to do the work you either don’t like or aren’t good at.
In Jack Canfield’s book, The Success Principles, he took it so far as to write, “I hate grocery shopping. It’s a huge waste of time for me, so I hired someone to buy the food for me. Plus, how much is my time worth? If I make $100 per hour working and then spend 2 hours at the grocery store, it just cost me $200 to buy that food. If I go every other week, that’s $400 a month I’m spending on an activity that I don’t enjoy. Instead, I can spend $100 hiring someone else to bring the food to my house. Plus, with the ability to order groceries online now, it’s become even more economical.”
This can be a radically new way of looking at reaching your goals. How much more could you accomplish if others were helping you? Some people will help you because you’ve supported them over the years. Others will offer their services at a very low price because they are retired and looking for something to do. You can do trades with other business owners or take on an intern.
Once you decide this option is a possibility, it becomes one!
1. Start by writing down everything you do and what you need help with.
2. Then decide what your strengths are and what you enjoy doing most.
3. Next, think about the kind of person you want to attract into your life who can help you with different aspects of growing your business or reaching your goal.
4. Finally, begin spreading the word. Make it known on social media, when having conversations with others, and through online forums that you are seeking help.
When working with someone new, give them a small task to test their abilities and “fit.” You may have to go through a few people until you find a good match, and that’s ok. Eventually, you can put together a strong team of players that will help you reach your goals faster and easer.
Most importantly, you’ll be creating your life by design!
Thanks for reading.
Make today a Shurr ! Success
Tim Shurr, MA
Commander-In-Chief
Shurr ! Success, Inc.
(317) 502-5293