An independent business owner (IBO) often thinks he has to “do it all.” For example he may say, ”I am my business, who else can help with this?” But you can outsource just about anything, for a price. Many IBO’s may be willing to outsource for technical things such as web development, printing, etc., but try to fight through other everyday aspects of their business like marketing, selling, development, administration and accounting, etc.
You cannot be good at everything! Even if you work in a specialized field, there are probably things you are not so good at and that cause you to waste a lot of time. Consider how you can partner with people around you to create win-win situations.
For example, the networking organization BNI (www.bni.com) is structured as a sales team for each member of the group. You sell for the other people and they sell for you. It is a great way to expand your sales efforts up to 40 fold, in just a few hours a week.
Action:
Consider what is on your plate.
Rate on a scale from 1-5 what you are great at vs. what you don’t like and takes you a lot of time.
Brainstorm on how you could collaborate with someone else to get this done. This is thinking outside of “buying” assistance, so consider how to create win-win partnerships.
