Get Help When You Need It

One of the biggest problems facing any of us who work at home, stems from our very nature.

Our independence.

The Myth

I think at first, we all feel that being independent means never having to ask for help. After all, you’re in business now and you should know how to tackle everything. That’s the whole point of starting a small business, right?

Wrong.

As much as you’d like to honor your inner control freak, it’s rare to be able to run any business completely by yourself.

Admit It, You Can’t Do It All

As much as you’d like to honor your inner control freak, it’s rare to be able to run any business completely by yourself. Working crazy hours doing everything from writing proposals and generating the work to ironing your clothes and keeping the books will burn you out. In the end, you risk losing opportunities and even current clients. Worst of all, you risk losing your passion for running your own business. Wouldn’t you rather be the best at your passion than just passable at everything?

There’s no shame in getting help. It doesn’t mean dropping your goals to stay small either. I know several independent contractors who use freelancers in several supporting business functions, including lead generation, administrative work, and accounting.

Let’s Hear Your Stories

I’m interested in hearing about how you offload some of your tasks, if you do. And if you don’t, why not?

• Which business tasks do you offload?
• Which personal tasks?
• How long after you started your business did you discover you needed extra help?
• Has it worked out for you? Are you more productive?
• If you don’t hire out some of your tasks, why not? Too expensive? Not enough accountability?

A few tasks you might consider outsourcing to other local service companies and freelancers include:

• Bookkeeping
• Tax preparation
• Invoicing and bill collections
• Filing and general office work
• Phone answering
• Marketing
• Direct selling, lead generation, and prospect qualification
• Website maintenance
• Child care
• Cleaning (house, clothes, and car)

Let me know how you handle those business tasks that aren’t directly related to your passion, but have to be done!