Solopreneurs? You Need A Team
Written by: Jane Parmel, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We’ve all heard them – those sayings about being part of a team.
“There’s no ‘I’ in Team”
“Team Up with…”
“Teamwork makes the dream work”
“Don’t change a winning team!”
So many business owners are “one-man” or “one-woman” shows. They are the one with the vision, the ideas, the knowledge about what needs to be done, the “work ethic”, the connections, the opportunities, the money.
These four quotes form a framework to see how creating your Advisory Team can change your business by accepting advice built on the experience of others:
“There’s no ‘I’ in Team”
You may have wanted to be “the person in charge” but after some time of working or struggling in business, that thinking gets old and can affect the business or organization on the whole. Yes, you are the boss but another quote plays into that mindset as well – “With great power comes great responsibility”.
To truly succeed in business, you need to build a team. This team can be a behind the scenes workforce curated specifically for your needs in your business brought together by YOU!
“Team Up with…”
Connect with the people you already work with but on a higher level. Successful entrepreneurs build an advisory board of subject matter experts (SME’s) to provide the expertise and guidance needed to propel business growth and profitability. Advisory boards consist of professionals such as an attorney, accountants, marketing experts, payroll providers, and a banker.
Independent Consultants are like SME’s on steroids – they specialize in certain aspects of business, and some are even pinpoint focused on subject matter specific to a certain industry, or a certain population being served. Small business coaches and consultants broaden perspectives and can work with you (Coach) or for you (Consultant) to help encourage and/or implement change.
“Don’t change a winning team!”
Remember that movie whose main character said, “Greed was good”? We have a better one – “Change is magnificent!” Here’s why: Change is the greatest filter in the world. Some people embrace it and do it well while others bolt at the thought of changing their socks! In your business or organization, implementing change will produce different results.
Change brings about a clearing out of old processes, additional evaluation of existing staff, acceptance by your audience, and room for higher revenues. Opening up to the possibilities that exist is the first start in exponentially growing your business but with a team to advise, those opportunities may be lost while you work.
“Teamwork makes the dream work”
The bottom line is the bottom line. You are the boss with one set of eyes. Your staff provides many more sets of eyes, and they are the people doing the actual work, in factories, offices, kitchens and trucks. Your customers provide opportunities for feedback and advertising too. Business coaches and consultants provide strategies and broader outlooks to hone your business vision and mission even further while opening you to the possibilities you may not even have considered.
Open up – create your team – be open to input. The changes might just knock you off your feet when you check out your sales at the end of the month!
For more information follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and visit my website! Read more from Jane!
Jane Parmel, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jane Parmel is the founder of Cardinal Profit Strategies, and is a Business Efficiency & Profit Acceleration Specialist. She is a successful entrepreneur, holding certificates in Management Consulting and Entrepreneurship. She is a Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Initiative Alum.
She provides resources for business owners on several podcasts; she speaks on Business Resilience, Efficiency & Success in Business and Connections. Jane writes for several Business magazines and blogs. Her story on resilience appears in the collaborative book “Voices of the 21st Century: Resilient Women Who Rise & Make a Difference”.
Jane wants to help business owners avoid the missteps that often mark a premature end for a business. Her mission is to make more businesses resilient and profitable.
