Even though you may be going it alone, you still need a small business team in place if you hope to succeed.
After all, you can't do everything yourself, can you?
"People who need people are the luckiest people in the world." — Barbara Streisand.
Actually, people who need people are only human. We are social beings who interact. This interaction helps us "mix it up" socially and intellectually with other people with different attitudes and skills.
So, being part of a small business team or having small business partners is an essential ingredient for small business success!
Large and small businesses perform the same activities on different scales: marketing, finance, administration, operations, human resources.
Corporations dedicate entire departments to these functions. As an owner/operator, you do not enjoy that luxury... so you'll need to set up your small business team.
Even with this in mind, too many small business starters take on the world singlehandedly... or rely on friends and family as business partners, neither of which is the greatest plan, in most cases.
Your small business team should include advisors you respect and trust enough to consider as business partners, with a successful track record. After all, even the most supportive friend can't help you without the right expertise.
Who Should Be on Your Business Team?
Before you start spending money on pricey legal and financial people, start at your local business development office, where many services are provided for FREE.
Look for local seminars and workshops. (Why local? Because some of these people will become customers and/or mentors and/or friends and/or a friendly face at a networking function... you get the idea.)
The perfect Business Partner personality... Know yourself first.
Do you get along with every person you meet? What if they're a professional? Does their designation guarantee that you'll be able to work together? Of course not.
If business partnership really is like marriage, your business partner relationship is over 50% likely to fail. So choose carefully. Enjoy a long courtship before committing to any relationship.
"The right" people will provide contacts, references, mentorship and suggestions. People on your business team can even introduce you to other people who can help you even more.
You are as individual as your own thumb print, as is every potential member of your small business team.
Even so, haven't you met people you instantly click with — who share your personality traits? They react like you do, make decisions based on the same type of information; they thrive in the same environment you like?
Then there are the "others". Some are more more or less emotional, more or less rational, seemingly too slow or too quick to decide, almost irresponsible-seeming. Imagine working with someone like that?
And how would they answer if we asked them this same question about you and your work style?
Still, as an entrepreneur home based, you will want your small business team to cover all the basics, both in skill and style. That way your self employment idea will get the broadest knowledge base to help it get off the ground.
In Summary...
Know yourself. Take a careful look at your strengths and weaknesses. Some people say that strengths actually EQUAL weaknesses. For example, if you're stubborn, you're probably also very focussed on the task at hand. If you're a people-person, you may not be very assertive.
What's your sign?
Throughout history, studies of psychology and human behaviour revealed that people's personality styles can be grouped into categories. This awareness led to the development of measurement tools to help identify people's natural tendencies.
Today you can take advantage of these tools to develop stronger business relationships and better interpersonal skills, and to help predict the best environment for your professional and personal life.
The more independent you become as a small business owner, the more new relationships you'll be facing. More than the Golden Rule ("Do under others as you’d have them do you unto you..."), today’s success dictates the Platinum Rule: "Do unto others as they would like done unto them", according to Tony Alessandra, author of Relationship Strategies, How to Deal with the Differences in People.
Your journey will involve people relationships, and studying this science can be a lifelong pursuit. Not only is it fascinating, it's critical in today's networking and networked world.
Once you have a clearer, more objective picture of yourself, you've made your small business team building job much easier. And thanks to the internet, these tools are available 24/7.
