You have a dream to take your idea and turn it into a business. Fantastic! There is a lot to be said of putting your dreams into action and for working for yourself. It can provide a number of rewards but it is important to recognize that success rarely occurs overnight. Often it requires you playing various roles to get your business off the ground.
Filling Multiple Roles
It would be great to have an idea, throw it out there and poof, there it is generating success. Maybe you have a fairy godmother to help you make it happen, but for the majority, it takes work.
When starting out as an entrepreneur, you often have to fill a number of roles in the company. Wearing multiple hats can be exciting, overwhelming and exhausting. It is important to recognize your strengths and what areas you may need to develop or seek support.
Maybe you are great at creating your product but when it comes to the marketing, it isn’t like anything you have done before. Or perhaps you don’t enjoy or aren’t great at math and the ideas of handling the finances gives you a headache. Even though they may not be the fun tasks that you dreamt of doing when you started your business, they are necessary. Often it comes down to what resources you have available, such as time, people and money. You then have a few choices of how to meet the needs of the business.
Learn New Skills
Seldom do start-ups have the money to go hire a staff, at least in the beginning. Learning new skills is key as an entrepreneur, in fact, you should never stop learning.
You may choose to take a course, read books, or find a coach or mentor to expand your knowledge. Whichever paths you choose, identify experts whose messages and processes resonate with you and what you want to represent. Is it someone or something you trust, admire and respect? If not, then keep looking until you find the right guidance. It is worth the investment of your time and money to find leaders who can guide you well in your business.
Delegate
If you have another person or people who have joined in your new venture with you, there is value in understanding what skills each person brings to the table. When possible, you can then delegate tasks to those who support you.
Outsourcing
If you are in the position where you can outsource, it can be a great method to hand off the tasks that don’t fall into your strengths. This provide you the opportunity to focus your time on the areas in your business that are important for you to drive.
Even if you do have the option to delegate or outsource, it is a good idea to know how, at least at a cursory level, to do all the skills so that you are aware of what you are asking others to accomplish.
It is an Evolution
As your business continues to grow you may find that your roles go through an evolution. Situations may arise where things you were previously responsible for, you can hand off. In other areas, you may need to be more involved in areas you previously assigned to others.
As an entrepreneur and the owner of your own business you are faced with many areas of responsibility and learning how to best align them with your resources is key in moving your business forward.