We don’t know What we don’t know…
Starting a business can be one of the most exhilarating experiences in a person's life, but it can also be one of the most challenging. Many entrepreneurs and business owners start their ventures because they are good at something, passionate about something, or out of necessity. However, we often face a common challenge: we don't know what we don't know.
As in human growth, we learn through trial by fire, making mistakes, and learning from them. Most business owners have to start with a do-it-all mentality, needing to handle every aspect of their business themselves, often making things up as they move along. Unfortunately, prolonging that way of running a business leads to burnout, limited growth, and missed opportunities. To build a successful and sustainable business, as owners and entrepreneurs, we need to look at ourselves, our shortcomings, and seek help where we need it.
The first step is to analyze our strengths, weaknesses, and things we just can’t or don’t want to do anymore ourselves. The second step is being okay with not doing everything ourselves in our businesses. We may not realize how attached we’ve gotten to our ways and our businesses, and although admitting we need help is the first step, the hardest step, in my opinion, is being okay with getting the help. Once we move past that, we have to define what help we need, and how it will help our business.
Bringing in people with different skills and expertise is the best decision business owners can make. Delegating or hiring people to handle tasks that we can't or don’t know how to, allows others to bring fresh perspectives to our businesses, introduce new ideas, and see things from a different angle. This not only improves the quality of our business, but it also allows us to learn and grow from others.
In order to successfully and efficiently bring others into our businesses, we first need to get what is in our heads onto paper. We need to define the organization our business needs, so that others can effectively come in to help. Setting up a foundation of the business with structure and organization allows business owners to delegate tasks that we can’t or don't want to do. This allows us to focus on what we are good at and enjoy, such as developing new products, expanding our business, building relationships with customers, or just stepping away and having more freedom to do other things. By doing this, business owners can set their business up to grow and thrive instead of just be and survive.
One way to set up a strong foundation for our businesses is to develop processes and procedures. Creating these systems enables us to automate tasks, and reduces the risk of human error. By implementing well-defined systems, we can streamline our operations and ensure that tasks are completed accurately and efficiently. Also, automating certain aspects of our businesses can free up our time to focus on the areas where we can bring the most value to our customers, our team, and ourselves. For example, automating the onboarding process for new hires can save us hours of work and ensures that each new employee receives the same quality training.
Finally, it's important to remember that asking for help is not a sign of weakness. It takes courage and strength to admit that we don't know everything and that we need help. There are many resources available to business owners, from mentorship programs to networking groups. By reaching out and connecting with others, we can learn from their experiences, and avoid making the same mistakes. Remember that you are not alone, and there is always help available, you just have to ask.
