Are you your business? Perhaps you’re perfectly happy working on your own and see no reason to change. Maybe you think you’re getting a bit too busy but still think it’ll be OK?
Or you’re not busy. You might have been working in the same way for as long as you can remember and you’ve hit a plateau.
Could it be time to find a team?
Do you need an expert?
I know, working with an expert sounds scary. They’ll be much more knowledgeable than you and you’ll feel like an idiot. Or they’ll take one look at your business and scoff. I can’t tell you that people like that don’t exist because they do. Even when they’re trying to help you they rattle out information at the speed of light. If you ask a question they ask why you didn’t listen in the first place.
The good news is, you get to pick who you work with. It’s your business. Have a meeting and if you don’t like the way they respond to questions, thank them politely and leave. You don’t have to turn them down on the spot, just tell them they’ve given you food for thought and you’ll get back to them. Writing an email to turn someone down is much easier than doing it face to face.
When you find the right expert, the benefits can be huge. They’ve spent time learning about the things that you’re struggling with. They’ve done the trial and error so you don’t have to. You can free up time and learn how to make things more efficient.
Build a team of your peers
You can learn a lot from your peers. Even if you don’t ‘work’ with them in the strictest sense of the word. Talking things through with people who are at the same stage of business as you can be hugely reassuring. Even if they’re no more expert than you are, they will think differently.
I’ve recently been part of an online course where everyone is at a similar stage in their business. We were all given the same tasks but we all faced different challenges. I find the copywriting tasks easy but have to concentrate more on the techy bits. Everyone asked questions about something. No-one worried about being judged. We just shared the knowledge knowing that we’d be the person asking a question the next time.
Get a fresh perspective
When you’re working on your own it’s easy to get stuck inside your own head. You feel you have a mountain to climb but you don’t know how to start. Even if you narrow down to one task you spend hours trying to work out how best to tackle it.
That’s when a fresh pair of eyes can really help you. Someone who isn’t attached to your business can help you prioritise things. If you told me you wanted to write a blog but didn’t know what to write about there are questions I would ask to help you decide.
Team work needn’t be forever
If you’re like me, you went into business so you could work in your own way. That might mean that you don’t want a permanent team. The great news is that there are hundreds of freelancers out there who don’t want a permanent job either. You can just get the help when you need it.
There are also plenty of online (and real life) business communities you can join to get advice and support. It could be just the boost you and your business need.
Have you taken on a team or are you thinking about it? Drop me a comment and let me know!
