3 Reasons Why You Need Outside Help

For most people, asking for help is hard. Unfortunately, far too many businesses leave it far too long before seeking the outside help they need to solve a problem, or go to the next level.

In an article today in the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin, local businessman Dominic Doblo shares that one thing he would have done to save his local supermarket if he had his time over, was bring in outside help when he saw trouble on the horizon.

Les Doblo’s was built from $500,000 of turnover in 1993, to $30 million the year before declaring bankruptcy in 2004. While outside forces played a big hand in hurting the business’ viability, Doblo acknowledged the problems could be seen well in advance of collapse, and that he now desires he had acted to bring in a business partner then to stabilise his business. In the article, Doblo hits on what I believe to be one crucial realisation the majority of entrepreneurs need to have:

“I was an expert at running the day-to-day operations, but for long-term growth and strategy I needed to get an equity partner in and someone who had more experience than me.” – Dominic Doblo

Most entrepreneurs are experts in their field, but novices at running a business

Let’s face it, there’s a fair chance you didn’t get into business because you’re an expert in management, marketing, systems and processes, people management and financial management. It’s far more likely that you got into business because you have a great idea that can fill a void in the market, in an area where your personal skill set lies, or maybe you just wanted to work for yourself. That makes you like most entrepreneurs. The problem is that you need to run the business around your idea, and do all of those other things I mentioned, plus more, if your business is going to thrive in the long term.

Bringing in outside help early, whether that be a consultant, coach, equity partner, mentor, or any other option, will empower you to identify the issues you may be facing, and find the solution to them. It will allow you to see things you can’t see on your own, and to develop your own skills to avoid repeating past struggles.

For a startup, this can absolutely be a financial issue. However, like marketing, engaging these forms of outside help are an investment in the long-term growth of both you and your business. It cannot be viewed as a cost, you have to look at the return you will receive by dealing with these challenges early and putting in place strategies to turn them from liabilities into assets.

You can’t do it all

"Only do what only you can do".

There’s a great saying I have heard from a number of leaders that says you must “only do what only you can do”. This means focusing on the things that only you are capable of doing and delegating what others can get done. For a small business, this can be a hard thing to put into practice when you simply do not have the funds to engage an employee. However, in today’s age, it is easier to outsource jobs on a project-by-project basis at a very reasonable cost, thanks to the advent of sites like Freelancer and Upwork.

Alternatively, the trick may not lie in doing less of what needs to be done, but finding a more efficient way of doing it. By consulting with help from outside of your business, your eyes can be opened to ways you can improve the processes and systems you use in order to make those tasks you have to do, but that bog you down from doing more important things, far more efficient. This will allow you to still complete those necessary deadweight jobs, AND win more business as well.

You’re too familiar with your business

You are working in and on your business every day, and it is your personal obsession. This breeds two problems: developing blind spots due to becoming familiar and being unable to separate personal emotion from necessary business changes.

“ If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got“.

When you are the one working in your business day after day, you become familiar with your systems, processes, and surrounds, which leads to you developing blind spots for where there are gaps that are letting you down. It happens to all of us. I will get familiar with my business, and face the same blind spot challenge. We have to recognise and accept this as a fact, and put things in place to ensure somebody is picking up these blind spots for us, and has our permission to point them out.

Likewise, your business is your baby, and this can create an emotional attachment that makes it difficult for you to make decisions and changes, holding you back from going to the next level. Again, this is the same for anyone, and we simply need to own it, and open up to help from someone who doesn’t have the same emotional attachment to recognise where we need to make changes, and how to make them.

Bringing in a quality business coach or consultant can be a great way to solve these challenges in your business. If you’re trying to work out what’s holding you and your business back from the next level, or feel like you’re being weighed down under the load, outside help is at hand, reach out and contact us at Tutt Holland for a FREE initial consultation today!

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