OTE 019: The Top 3 Excuses Entrepreneurs Have Standing Between Them And An Awesome Team

All growing businesses eventually get to a point where you can’t do it all on your own – so why do so many entrepreneurs have a hard time getting an AWESOME team who truly makes a DIFFERENCE? In episode 019 of the Owning The Edge Podcast, I talk about the main three EXCUSES that stand between YOU and the TEAM you need to make the biggest IMPACT in your business. 

You Don’t Have The Money

The first and biggest thing I see standing in people’s way when it comes to hiring a team, or even just outsourcing for a few projects, is money. “I can’t afford to hire.” If you have ever been in this position, chances are, you’ve just decided to do whatever it is you were thinking of outsourcing yourself, to save on the costs.

The thing is, this may actually be costing you MORE than just finding a way to hire in the first place.

Let’s look at web development. If you need a new website but you can’t hire a developer, you might think that just doing it yourself is a viable option. In the end, though, it could take you TEN TIMES as long to get your website done, AND you probably won’t get it to the quality you want. Web development is a crucial skill that takes YEARS to master – do you think you’ll be able to get it mastered in just a couple of months? 

On top of that, when you’re building your website, you’re NOT focusing on the things in your business that actually bring in income. 

Just because you might not have the money to afford to hire doesn’t mean you don’t have the means. Try finding contractors who are willing to work on trade of services. If you’re great at sales, help them streamline their systems. If you’re a good copywriter, write copy in exchange for web design work.

There are skills you have that others are missing, and you can use those skills as a way to trade for the skills you are missing yourself! 

You Don’t Know How To Find Quality People

So if you’ve got the money thing handled, the next big excuse is that people don’t know how to find quality people. This isn’t just an excuse – it’s a SKILL, and it’s a skill you can’t improve if you don’t practice it. 

Learning how to find someone of talent is something that comes as you hire, but you can make it a little smoother. The first thing to do is to get some experience in the thing you want to hire out. You don’t need to be an expert, but having a cursory understanding of the task you’re expecting them to complete for you can help you understand the quality of their work. Let’s look at web design again. You might not be an expert in designing, but you could easily go through and find the websites you like the MOST to get a keen eye for what a great design looks like. 

Let’s say, though, that hiring is a skill you just don’t have the chops for – that doesn’t mean you can’t hire! There are services and individuals and companies who are great at hiring, and you can hire THEM to handle the nitty gritty of it. 

At the end of the day, it’s the same point with the money point above: there comes a point where you can’t afford to NOT hire.

Your Ego Might Be Standing In The Way 

Finally, this is a BIG ONE for entrepreneurs. 

Up until  the moment you NEED to hire, everything has been on you, and while sometimes that’s been very painful, it’s also very REWARDING. There’s something incredible about knowing that you’ve built this beast all on your own. 

And once you’re there, it can be HARD to give up some of that control and let other people handle it, especially if they’re not doing things exactly the way you like, or to the level you want to see it done. 

But if you let this ego piece get in your way, you’re going to be buried in work. You’re always going to feel like you’re drowning and can’t get everything done – because you can’t! 

Keep in mind, with any new hire, that it will take time and energy for them to be exactly what you imagined they would be when you hired them. Remember, this is YOUR business and YOUR baby – no one else will have the same level of buy in that you do. Also keep in mind, you’ve been doing this for YEARS. How long did it take you to get to the level you are with the things you do? Probably a while!

So give new hires a chance to work up to your expectations. Be firm with the expectations you have, and help them grow by allowing them to mess up, and FIX it THEMSELVES when they mess up. 

Thanks For Listening! 

• »If you found the show today valuable, please share it! 
• »On top of that, I would really appreciate it if you took a couple of minutes to leave an honest review and rating for the podcast on iTunes. 
• »Finally, make sure to subscribe to the show on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode!

Today’s TOP Take-Aways:

• »You Don’t Have The Money [01:41]
• »You Don’t Know How To Find Quality People [07:53]
• »Your Ego Might Be Standing In The Way [10:38]

Quote:

• »If you’re one of those people who jumps in and takes on the things you might not have an exact solution for yet, you’re going to be further along than someone who always pauses and uses it as an excuse.