It Takes A Village To Raise A Child!

Growing a business is like raising a child.  You love it, nurture it, and you need to be resilient to get through the unavoidable tough times.  You also need to know when to seek help.

Growing up, I was the fiercely independent child that always said, (much to my mother's dislike), I can do it myself. Many times when I was told “no", I'd work out a way of doing it anyway.  Some would call it naughty corner behaviour, but I prefer to call it independence.

Independence is a wonderful thing, but knowing when to seek help is also an essential skill. 

Anyone in business knows you need to work hard but more importantly you need to work smart!

When I started my first business I operated for the first few years on my own.  I did various courses and went to conferences over that time but I didn’t seek help with the daily, weekly, monthly challenges and although I thought I was saving money by doing it all myself, I paid an even bigger price.

I started out with so much passion and I was ready to change the world.  However, faced with all the challenges and pressure of running my own business and trying to do it all myself, my enthusiasm and motivation was being eroded away.  Business growth slowed and my confidence was diminishing.

Not only was I not growing my business, I wasn’t developing the business and personal skills that are essential for success and fulfilment.

If I’m truly honest, it was my fear of what others would think of me if I had to ask for help.  After all, I’d been in business for a few years now so surely I should know all there was to keep running it? And wouldn’t asking for help mean that I was weak and not smart enough?

This is what happens when you allow fear to rule.  The voices in your head tell you a load of crap! This all changed when I met my first mentor and coach.  The relief I felt to now run my business with a trusted mentor on my team was enormous. I’d started to build my ‘village’ and as a result my business started growing again.  I was seeing and feeling the value in asking for help (so was my bank account)!

Years later I haven’t been without a mentor and I never will be.

If it’s good enough for Richard Branson, Oprah Winfrey and Anthony Robbins, then it’s good enough for me.