Entrepreneurship is NOT a solo effort

The Yoruba and Igbo people of Africa have a saying that perhaps you’ve heard: “It takes a village to raise a child.” If that’s true, does the same concept apply to growing a business?

I think it does.

Reaching the summit

I liken growing a successful business—one that pays you a nice salary and provides a winsome profit—to climbing Mount Everest. There is just no way that you can get to the summit (and come back down safely) through your own sheer will and dogged determination alone.

Sir Edmund Hillary, the first human to summit Everest didn’t do it solo—he had Tenzing Norgay by his side. And this dynamic duo wasn’t alone either, they were part of the 1953 British Mount Everest expedition consisting of 15 mountaineers, 362 porters, 20 Sherpas and countless others who helped organize and fund the record-breaking expedition. By my count that’s many hundreds of people who helped make history and pushed our heroes to new heights.

Sir Hillary got the glory, but it took a village.

A Team Sport

Growing your business is a similar adventure (but thankfully, without the frostbite, lack of oxygen or death risk). Whoever said that “entrepreneurship is a team sport” got it right. You need a stellar team to help you accomplish the Herculean task of growing a successful business, no matter what its size.

Your dream team may include a:

• lawyer
• accountant
• banker
• investor
• mentor
• coach
• consultant
• graphic designer
• web developer
• copywriters
• copy editor
• videographer
• and many, many more

Core Team vs Extended Team

Some members of your Team operate outside of your company. These are the independent contractors whose payments you report on the IRS 1099-MISC form. In fact, much of your work can be outsourced, under your careful supervision of course, to these contributors. And even though they work independently, you can organize them into an Extended Team that interfaces with each other via software such as Slack, Basecamp, or Asana (to name but a few software options).

For example—you can outsource your copywriting, photography, and graphic design work to different professionals and yet connect them so they can collaborate seamlessly to complete projects. That’s pretty darn cool considering that such tech wasn’t available until recently.

That said, some work is too important to outsource and must be handled in-house. A photographer can't outsource his photography work, for example; a coach can't outsource her coaching. There are things that only you can do. No one else can do it for you. Customer service, value delivery, sales, marketing strategy, innovation, planning—these are all things that only you can do.

However, as your business grows and you can no longer handle the load by yourself, you can hire someone to assist you. And as revenue and complexity continue to grow, you can begin to hire for specialized positions like marketing coordinator, sales representative or account manager.

That's the smart evolution of your business and there’ll be plenty more to say about that later. For now, what I want you to understand is that there is no such thing as a one-man army.

Trying to carry the whole load by yourself is madness.

Even if you're a solopreneur, your most important task at the beginning of your journey is to build a capable team to support you.

Teams ain’t cheap

As you begin to the identify the team you need to succeed, you should keep in mind that building a core or extended team of A players is neither fast, easy, or cheap. It takes time, involves tons of trial and error and requires a significant financial investment to work.

But don’t let a lack of capital stop you.

You can negotiate, barter and create mutually beneficial strategic partnerships with the talented people you want on your team. Remember, money is never the only thing you can trade.

Perhaps the bigger challenge is actually finding these remarkable collaborators. That’s why it’s important that you network (offline and online) and keep your eyes peeled. Once you locate a potential teammate, don’t rush. Start work on a small, low-stakes project. Then see how it goes.

Team up with Accelerate South Dade

I’m guessing that if you’re in business, you want to achieve remarkable things in your life. And I hope that by now I’ve convinced you that getting to the mountaintop requires a team effort.

So why not team up with your friends at Accelerate South Dade?

Perhaps the greatest value we deliver to our clients is being part of their A-Team.

Here are some of the team positions we play for our clients:

• Business Coach
• Mentor
• Advisor
• Consultant
• Web designer
• Webmaster
• Graphic designer
• Copywriter and editor
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Video Editor
• Commercial landlord
• Business matchmaker
• and more!

And here are the positions we can help you fill through our large network of partners:

• Legal advisor
• Bookkeeper
• Tax experts and accountants
• Bankers
• Grant programs
• Micro-lenders
• Credit repair experts
• Wellness
• and more!

Can you see the power of having access to all this talent and know-how, at a single location, for just pennies on the dollar?

If it indeed takes a village to grow a business, and entrepreneurship is a team sport, then you owe it to yourself to come see about us.

You don't have to go it alone.

We’re building a thriving community of entrepreneurs in South Dade and we’re ready to play.

See you at the summit!