Being Teachable Opens Doors

Every solopreneur has been told at one time or another that you should "act as if," that you should always appear confident because no one will believe in you if you don't. All of this is true. However, sometimes you can take it too far by trying so hard to appear that you know what you're doing that you are no longer teachable. When this happens, you are in deep trouble.

Every solopreneur is selling either a product, a service, or an idea. Usually, their knowledge is skewed in the direction of that one thing. For example, if you have a carpet cleaning business, you probably know more about carpets and cleaning fluids than I would ever want to know! But, what do you know about marketing? What do you know about accounting? What do you know about managing employees?

The chances are that your knowledge base is considerably less in every area but the one for which you have a passion. This is not unusual. As a matter of fact, most people's knowledge is domain-specific. It is expected.

So what's the problem? To help you understand, let me share a definition straight out of Wall Street with you. David L. Scott in "Wall Street Words," defines entrepreneur as "a risk-taker who has the skills and initiative to establish a business." This seems to be the definition so many people try to emulate.

The problem is that it implies you already have ALL the necessary skills. Consequently, how can you possibly be considered an entrepreneur if you have to ask for help? How can you possibly admit to a shortcoming in any area of expertise? As a result, you try harder to portray yourself as this twisted view of an entrepreneur than you do as a carpet cleaner or a maker of jewelry or whatever.

You Can Never Be Happy And Successful Unless You Remain Teachable

Even if you have passable knowledge in all the operational areas I mentioned earlier, there is always someone who has valuable knowledge you could use to improve your business. No one can keep up with the rapid expanse of technology today unless technology is your passion AND your business.

Why is it important for you to remain teachable?

• Trying to do everything yourself when you are constantly having to educate yourself in a new area is a sure-fire road to burnout.
• Refusing to open yourself up to others' ideas or experiences means that you have to do most things the hard way.
• If you're not teachable, you won't learn from the experiences you have in life, which makes your life a merry-go-round of reruns.

One more thing: Being afraid to allow others to take the reins in certain areas of your business indicates a lack of trust on your part. But, what does this have to do with being teachable? It is an opportunity for you to learn to trust. Nothing teaches trust more quickly than the experience of delegating, and the rewards are immense!

So, as you are trying to become a successful business person, allow yourself the privilege of emulating the standard definition of entrepreneur: a person who organizes and manages any enterprise, esp. a business, usually with considerable initiative and risk. It doesn't say anything about doing it all or knowing it all!

The process of learning, delegating, teaching, and succeeding in your business is all part of tweaking your life! It requires you to dig deeper into who you really are and tweak your attitudes to match the wondrous person you truly are!

If you need help tweaking your life, don't put off finding the help you need to make your life consciously creative.

All the best on your quest,

Dannye Williamsen
The Solopreneur's Coach