Lesson Two: Build a solid team
Preface: For all of you business owners and nonprofit directors who spend more time on administrative tasks than moving forward in your mission, this lesson’s for you!
Not very long into our business venture, Faith and I discovered that there were several pieces of running a business that we could not do solo. But first, we labored over these tasks, trying to save money by doing them on our own. That took time away that could have been used elsewhere and brought on a lot of unnecessary stress.
Marketing was one of those tasks. We did not know where to begin! We finally decided that we needed to spend the money and hire a marketing company. So we did. The first member of our team ended up being a cheerleader of a woman who has championed our company in many circles in the years since. While we only hired the company for a few services, so much time and energy was taken off our plates. And we gained someone who believed in what we were doing and referred many clients to us that have since paid for the marketing services.
A few months later, we hired a CPA. We’re fairly educated women who know how to build a budget and not spend more than we have, etc. With Faith’s administrative experience in the nonprofit sector, running a business did not seem too far fetched. But taxes were an entirely different ball game. Our CPA knows his stuff, and his financial insights have been crucial to our success and our sanity. Again, he believed in us and went to bat for us (see what I did there?), helping spread the word and build our reputation. Worth every penny.
As you can see, I wasn’t just talking about your team of employees. Anyone you hire to do services for your company should be considered part of your team. They might not be around forever, but building a strong rapport with them could lead to lots of future referrals. While these services take money out of your pocket in the short-term, the long-term gains of having an expert handle stressful tasks while expanding your network far outweigh the immediate loss.
Do you feel overwhelmed with working on the business? Do you find yourself wishing you had more time to work in the business, doing what you love? Find outside experts who you trust to handle those pieces for you, and know that you are indeed multiplying your success. You’ll be able to breathe a little deeper and sleep a little sounder.
