There is a lot to be said for ploughing (plowing) your own furrow in business. Many great and successful business people have been famous for doing that, whether we are talking about Richard Branson, Anita Roddick, Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett.
Do you think, though that they achieved greatness all on their own? Well of course they didn’t. They knew when they needed help. They bought in the support and services they needed, manufacturing bases in other countries and advisers who knew where to look. They wouldn’t have pretended to themselves that they knew everything.
Sometimes we need help. Often we know just what we want. At other times it is useful to have an outsider in to look at what we are doing and advise us because we are just too close to see our issues in context. Now and again we just need to get practical support and let someone else manage a part of the business on a temporary or even semi-permanent basis.
I help other businesses as you know. I also ask for help myself and currently have two people involved in projects quite apart from the work I sub-contract, so you see I do take my own advice.
There is a natural tendency for some small business people to think they are saving money by doing everything themselves. Actually unless they are perfect all-rounders (and who is?) they will save money and make money by buying in the support they need. Sometimes it is easier to ask someone who is a few steps back from your business to tell you what they see.
Don’t you agree?