With our years of experience, accumulated industry knowledge, and various skills we gain throughout the years, by practice and by study, we tend to think that we've got it all to launch and run a successful business all by ourselves. You are not alone; many share such thinking! I was guilty of it myself.
When I first embarked on my startup journey, I thought that I could handle all day-to-day tasks, manage the business operations and set its strategies, grow the marketing and communications outreach, connect with prospective clients via calls or meetings, all within 24 hours of the day. After all, I had expertise in all those areas, so, it sounded easy and manageable for me at the beginning, but when it came to practice, all those countless daily tasks started to become clutter and noise. They did not contribute at all to drawing a clearer path and helping us move forward as a company.
It took me a short time to realize and to change my approach accordingly. From then on, I improved my work habits, which led me to 3 main realizations:
. Find yourself a team to belong to and grow with! Search for the right talents and expertise to invite to join your startup. Assess their added value, both in the short and long run. Challenge their expertise and make sure they have what it takes to make great things happen. If these talents are valuable and you cannot afford them, check in with them if sweat equity or profit shares would be of interest instead of a salary or recurring payment.
. Delegation is a must for entrepreneurs. As an entrepreneur, you can not and will not be able to do it all by yourself. This is not a myth you can try to verify. It will cost you precious time if you do. Even if it all worked at first, it cannot be consistent and effective in the long run. In time, you will certainly get drained.
. Your team is your lifeboat. It takes a team to turn the most difficult obstacles into opportunities. Value and appreciate your people, keep up with their updates, and check up on their wellbeing. A “do you need to talk? how can I help? I feel something is bothering you” can change one's day and uplift their spirits, both personally and professionally.
2020 has proven to be a challenging year. Personally, I would not have been able to get through it without the people around me, both on a personal and a professional level. They granted me support, direction, motivation, empowerment, and a new perspective to look at things. These are some of the most important pillars to launch and build a successful business!
Now, what will it take you to make great things happen?
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