As an heart centered solo-preneur, you’re driven by the desire to make a contribution to the world and in doing so better yourself and the world you inhabit.
No one knows more about your work than you do. This is why you decided to open your own business, to give more and be more in the world. You want to work for yourself, be the only boss you have, be responsible for your outcomes. You also want your business to be hugely profitable because receiving is all part of the process. This focus on making things happen by yourself is a great strength. It gets you to accomplish things you would never have dreamed possible.
However, it can also be a great weakness. The death of any solo-preneur is solitude. I see too many small business owners working their business solo, trying to do it all. The truth is you cannot build a sustainable business on your own.
I did a quick survey to find out why heart centered solo-preneurs choose to have a business coach. Here were the main reasons:
- I have built a financially successful business, but know I could be doing even better. I don’t know how to build more success without working even more hours. I’m already maxed out.
- I hate marketing and sales so wanted to find a way to do this without feeling sleazy.
- Money and spirituality doesn’t go together. This is a big one!
- There’s got to be an easier way to do things, but I need help figuring it out. I just can’t do it by myself anymore.
- There are many opportunities being handed to me to help my business right now. I need an objective opinion on which ones are the best fit for me.
- I’m a start-up. I need access to an expert who has the know how to get my business growing quickly so I can be profitable before my money runs out.
- I know there are tasks I need to do every week to grow my business, but I procrastinate on doing them. I need someone who will hold my feet to the fire.
All successful business owners know they can’t be solo players. I love the comment by Michael Gerber of E-Myth fame that the difference between successful and unsuccessful business owners wasn’t that the successful ones knew everything they needed to. The difference was that the successful ones recognized what they didn’t know and took steps to correct it. The ones who went out of business had simply ignored what they didn’t know.
No matter how talented you are in your work, there will always be areas of business that you’re not good at and may need an objective opinion. To survive, sometime seeking the expertise of others can be of help.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that you run out and get a coach/mentor as this isn’t the solution for everyone. But sometimes it is easier to tap into some kind of support.
Don’t use money as an excuse to not do this – you don’t have to spend a lot. And don’t say you don’t have time to do any of this, either. The more resources you have access to, the more business and revenue you will generate, the more ideas and confidence you will spark. The easiest and fastest way to get where you are going with your business is to understand how other people have done it.
It saves you a lot of time, mistakes and sanity. Just think about it!