It Takes a Village to Run a Business

I started my home based business in 2007, providing virtual administrative services to clients worldwide.  Eager to jumpstart my business, I submitted bids and won multiple contracts.  At the high point of my business, I was juggling 10 clients, trying to keep pace with the multitude of work that was bombarding my tiny home office.

My phone rang constantly and I was afraid to check my email for fear of falling over.  Headaches were common and my kids were begging for my attention.  Something had to give.

I brought in help.

After I did a thorough assessment of my clients, I organized them by industry and needs.  I met with the clients, telling them of the change and I hired four virtual assistants – three to take care of clients and one assigned to me to run the business.

As time progressed, my interests took me in a different direction and I was able to hand off the business to these capable assistants, thereby jumpstarting their businesses.

I tell you this because I made a common mistake made by many solopreneurs – I tried to go it alone.

I took the word “solo” quite literally.

I did not realize that by working alone, I was actually strangling my business.

You would think I would have learned my lesson.  However, I have been told I have a hard head.

Once again, I was bogged down in tasks that were not my area of expertise.  I was trying to teach myself skills when I had experts to assist right at my fingertips.  When would I learn that I am not Superwoman?

I did this time.

I hired an expert to set up my affiliate program.  I brought on an assistant to juggle my calendar.  I reached out to an expert to run my webinars.  A graphic designer and freelance writer were able to help me get a long-shelved project off the ground.   I bit the bullet and hired a coach to help me organize my thoughts and ideas.

Those simple moves have paid off handsomely.

Not only in terms of revenue but in getting back my personal time.

There is a valuable lesson for home based entrepreneurs that I hope you take away from my mistake:  do not try to do it all alone.  You will stunt your growth that way and you will probably walk away from the experience with a few gray hairs.

Reach out to the community for help.  You have worked so hard to build your professional network and develop a relationship – put those relationships to good use!

Create a village that you can count on.

Regina Lewis

Regina is a business owner, mother, grandmother and home schooling parent. The Work from Home Classroom was developed to empower individuals interested in becoming home workers and/or entrepreneurs through classes, resources and weekly job listings. In her spare time, she enjoys watching British sitcoms, cooking, watching sports with her boys and reading books on her Kindle.

More Posts - Website - Twitter - Facebook