5 Ways To Amplify the Impact of Your Business Community from Who Not How
If you’re anything like me, you run yourself ragged trying to do everything on your own. You manage oodles of daily tasks , and then every time you have a new idea or face a new challenge, you think ‘How can I get this done’. You research on the internet, scour message boards, listen to webinars, or just learn by trial and error. And while all that may find you the answer you need, there is an easier way.
In Who Not How, authors Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy argue that trying to do it all yourself is bad for you and your business. If you’re prone to doing it all on your own, it’s time to start turning to other people for support.
5 Ways To Amplify the Impact of Your Business Community
1. Ask yourself the right question
The number one takeaway from this book is—when you have a challenge you need to overcome, rather than asking yourself “HOW can I do this myself?”, you should ask, “WHO can help me?”.
Finding a WHO to help solve your problem may require hiring an employee, using an expert contractor, or looking to your network.
As a new small business owner, financial limitations may mean that you don’t have the ability to hire someone. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t WHO’s out there for you.
Start by reflecting on your network—who do you know that could help? Or are there social media or industry groups where you could post your question? And don’t forget about small business organizations like SCORE, local SBA offices, or small business nonprofits that can provide you with resources.
You don’t have to do it alone. Look to your WHO’s first and the HOW will become so much easier to execute.
2. Give without expectation
As you develop your business network, you should not build relationships with a “what’s in it for me” attitude. When you treat every interaction as a quid pro quo opportunity, you will attract other people who also see networking as purely transactional.
If you build relationships around trust, kindness, and caring, you will attract others who also have those values. Give your ideas, connections, and support without the expectation of a return, and you will develop a network of ‘givers’ who will be there when you need help overcoming a business challenge.
3. Have an open mind
Whether you are working with your employees, building partnerships, or strategizing with other entrepreneurs - you should always go in with an open mind, recognizing that you don’t have all the answers.
No matter how long you’ve been in business, there is plenty that you have yet to learn or experience. In a rapidly changing business landscape, being willing to hear and try new ideas will enhance your knowledge and expertise, spur your creativity, and bring you new opportunities to grow your business.
4. See employees as investments
Many small business owners avoid hiring help because they think of employees as another expense. However, if done right, employees are an investment that will create additional profit.
There are some facets of running your company that at which you don’t excel or worse - loathe doing. For example, if marketing is not your cup of tea – hiring someone to do that work for you will bring two benefits:
First, a marketing expert will be better at marketing than you are. They are, after all, an expert. They will be more successful bringing visibility and new business to your company.
Second, since you will no longer be spending long hours learning and executing marketing strategies, your time will be freed up to do what you’re great at—leading your company.
When you hire someone who brings skills, expertise, and passion that you don’t have, you and your business will benefit. You’ll have the freedom to do the things you love to do, and will be giving someone else an opportunity to shine with their expertise.
5. Recognize your limitations
No matter how remarkable you are at managing all the facets of your business, we all face fatigue that hinders our ability to perform at our best. The more decisions you make every day, the worse your decision making becomes. The more you work yourself to the bone, the worse you will perform. Break the myth of the entrepreneur superhero and stop trying to do it all on your own.
Invest in growing your business community, and allow other people to support you. Ask for help, seek out advice, trust that others have expertise that you don’t. When you stop trying to do it all on your own, your personal and business wellness will flourish.
Who Not How: Small Business Book Review
Who Not How is a great little book. I give it a 4 out of 5 stars for small business owners. While it does focus a lot on hiring a team, which may not apply to many modern small business owners, there is valuable advise in this book for every size business. Whether you are hiring help, bringing on contractors for special projects, building partnerships, or turning to your network for support… remember that your first thought when facing a problem or opportunity should be WHO not HOW.
