Why is it so critical and yet so difficult for solos to ask for
Why is it so critical and yet so difficult for solos to ask for
support?
“Anyone who works as a solo professional needs a lot of support,” a
fellow coach said to me recently. I couldn’t agree more. Any time you
are working by yourself it is isolating. How do you find what you need
to do your best work?
As a solo no one will hand you the resources you need. That is a task
you must do for yourself. What kind of support do you want?
My coach friend was talking about people. She had a really good
Mastermind Group that nurtured her and supported her. If you don’t have a
team or colleagues to bounce ideas off of whom do you have? Is there
someone you can call to discuss your plan for your business?
A Mastermind Group is ideal. Being a part of one gives you a safe
place to discuss your business and ask your Mastermind colleagues what to
do. Brainstorming many options is part of what makes a Mastermind Group
useful. My group meets by telephone every week. Some groups meet face
to face. The members decide on the frequency, length of the meeting,
the agenda and purpose for the group.
Another way that solo professionals get help is to put together an
advisory panel and meet with them as a group or separately. You might have
your lawyer, your accountant, your coach or consultant and others on
the panel. Again they give you the kind of support you ask for.
Now here is what I see as ironic (at least for me). Many of us who
chose to work solo chose it because we were tired of working for someone
else and having them direct us. I know after working for almost 15
years at AT&T I was weary of following managers’ suggestions. I had other
ideas that I never got to try! So in my own business I wanted to do it
alone (no advice).
After trying it my way for a while however, I soon learned the benefit
of support. That is why I hired a coach and joined a Mastermind group.
Old habits die hard however and I still have the tendency to do it
myself for too long. What about you?
Support also means delegating some of your work to others i.e. a
bookkeeper, a marketing expert, a web designer etc. Many solo professionals
think that they can do it all. It is particularly difficult to
delegate when you are first starting and have little income.
It is an easy excuse though to say, “I can’t afford to hire someone.”
The time it takes you to learn the job of an expert could be better
spent doing the work you started your business for (law, coaching,
accounting etc.). Do the things that you are good and that you enjoy. Hire
someone else to do the rest. If you do this successfully, there will be
money to pay for the expert and time to do even more marketing.
Support can come in many forms. It is the people you hire, the
software you use, the equipment you choose, the systems you put in place
and/or the colleagues and vendors you refer to. All these resources are
necessary in any business. For solos they are critical.
Take action:
1. Make a list of the people that support you? Where else could you
use support? Make a commitment to find that support by a particular
date.
2. What other kind of resources do you need? Make a list of these and
a plan to acquire them.
3. Napoleon Hill wrote about Mastermind Groups in the book “Think and
Grow Rich”. This book is a classic.
4. One free source of support for businesses is SCORE. SCORE is part of
the SBA. The business counselors that are part of SCORE (score.org)
have real business experience. I am a SCORE business counselor.
Why is it so critical and yet so difficult for solos to ask for - To learn more about this author, visit Alvah Parker's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Why is it so critical and yet so difficult for solos to ask for
support?
“Anyone who works as a solo professional needs a lot of support,” a
fellow coach said to me recently. I couldn’t agree more. Any time you
are working by yourself it is isolating. How do you find what you need
to do your best work?
As a solo no one will hand you the resources you need. That is a task
you must do for yourself. What kind of support do you want?
My coach friend was talking about people. She had a really good
Mastermind Group that nurtured her and supported her. If you don’t have a
team or colleagues to bounce ideas off of whom do you have? Is there
someone you can call to discuss your plan for your business?
A Mastermind Group is ideal. Being a part of one gives you a safe
place to discuss your business and ask your Mastermind colleagues what to
do. Brainstorming many options is part of what makes a Mastermind Group
useful. My group meets by telephone every week. Some groups meet face
to face. The members decide on the frequency, length of the meeting,
the agenda and purpose for the group.
Another way that solo professionals get help is to put together an
advisory panel and meet with them as a group or separately. You might have
your lawyer, your accountant, your coach or consultant and others on
the panel. Again they give you the kind of support you ask for.
Now here is what I see as ironic (at least for me). Many of us who
chose to work solo chose it because we were tired of working for someone
else and having them direct us. I know after working for almost 15
years at AT&T I was weary of following managers’ suggestions. I had other
ideas that I never got to try! So in my own business I wanted to do it
alone (no advice).
After trying it my way for a while however, I soon learned the benefit
of support. That is why I hired a coach and joined a Mastermind group.
Old habits die hard however and I still have the tendency to do it
myself for too long. What about you?
Support also means delegating some of your work to others i.e. a
bookkeeper, a marketing expert, a web designer etc. Many solo professionals
think that they can do it all. It is particularly difficult to
delegate when you are first starting and have little income.
It is an easy excuse though to say, “I can’t afford to hire someone.”
The time it takes you to learn the job of an expert could be better
spent doing the work you started your business for (law, coaching,
accounting etc.). Do the things that you are good and that you enjoy. Hire
someone else to do the rest. If you do this successfully, there will be
money to pay for the expert and time to do even more marketing.
Support can come in many forms. It is the people you hire, the
software you use, the equipment you choose, the systems you put in place
and/or the colleagues and vendors you refer to. All these resources are
necessary in any business. For solos they are critical.
Take action:
1. Make a list of the people that support you? Where else could you
use support? Make a commitment to find that support by a particular
date.
2. What other kind of resources do you need? Make a list of these and
a plan to acquire them.
3. Napoleon Hill wrote about Mastermind Groups in the book “Think and
Grow Rich”. This book is a classic.
4. One free source of support for businesses is SCORE. SCORE is part of
the SBA. The business counselors that are part of SCORE (score.org)
have real business experience. I am a SCORE business counselor.
Why is it so critical and yet so difficult for solos to ask for - To learn more about this author, visit Alvah Parker's Website.
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Joe DagerJoe Dager is President of Business901, a progressive coaching company providing no-nonsense direction in areas such as Lean Six Sigma Marketing and organized referral marketing. What others say: In the past 20 years, Joe and I have collaborated on many difficult issues. Joe’s ability to combine his expertise with “out of the box” thinking is unsurpassed. He has always delivered quickly, cost effectively and with ingenuity. A brilliant mind that is always a pleasure to work with.” - James R. If you want to learn more about Business901, start a conversation with us. We can be found @ Web/Blog: Business901.com Web/Blog: FundingYourNonprofit.com LinkedIn Profile Follow me on Twitter - Visit Joe Dager's Website |
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