Forget what you’ve heard; there’s no such thing as a self-made millionaire. Sure, it sounds nice. But think about it. If you could become a millionaire all by yourself, wouldn’t everybody be one?
Exactly.
So don’t believe the hype. And let’s be clear. At some point in time on your entrepreneurial journey, you’re going to have to engage the talents of someone else to help you to build or expand your brand and business.
This is exactly where Melissa finds herself:
“Hi Darnyelle. I’m steadily building the foundation for my business. I’ve got clients and opportunities and I am feeling a little stretched thin and I now realize that I need to build my team. Who should I have on my team, do I engage them as employees, contractors or and what about a board of advisors, how does that play into building my team?”
Check out this week’s episode of Incredible Factor TV to hear my response to Melissa’s question.
There’s really no way around it. Now, I do highly recommend that if you’re new to entrepreneurship that you spend the first year in your business performing every task that needs to be done. Maybe with the exception of the legal stuff unless, of course, you’re an attorney. That way, when you hire someone you can gauge the success of their results against those of your own and validate the contribution they are making to your company. In the first year, you will be building your operations manual so that you have a clearly defined and documented procedure for every job that needs to be performed in your company.
At the end of the day, I think that if you really want to build a dream team, these are the positions you’re going to need to fill within your company to be able to build, sustain and grow your business.
(Positions added in no particular order.) Assess when you should hire for a position based on your individual needs. Know that the goal is to ensure that eventually you work solely in your area of talent or brilliance and everything else gets delegated.
Executive Assistant. This person will be your “go-to” person. They will manage your calendar, keep you focused and on task. And well, they will be the best thing that ever happened to you.
Marketing Assistant. This is the person who will perform marketing-related tasks for you. Likely, they will manage your social media and online presence for you.
Personal Assistant. Eventually going to the post office and dry cleaners will get old and when it does, you’ll want to have a PA on hand to perform those daily nuances for you.
Accountant. While I agree you want someone to report on it and help to make sure you are fiscally responsible, like Oprah, I recommend that no one sign your checks and have access to your money but you.
Attorney. A necessity from the right legal entity to your contracts, you want to have an attorney review them to ensure you’re on the right side of the law. If you’re just starting out, consider Legal Shield as a viable option to help you with your business related legal matters. For dollars a day, you can have access to counsel when you need them. (I am not receiving anything to recommend Legal Shield.)
Mentor/Business Coach. You will need someone to mentor you that has been there, done that and gotten the t-shirt. Coaches and mentors can also drive strategy for your business to help you continue to grow. While today, fewer and fewer people coach for free, coaches and mentors are worth the investment.
Business Development Specialist. Especially if you are not good at sales, you need someone who will drum up business. Word of mouth is only going to get you so far. At some point, you’re going to need a robust marketing strategy and when you create it, someone is going to have to be on the team to implement it.
Customer Service Manager. If you want to keep the customers you get, you’ll want someone who can serve as liaison for you.
Supportive Friend. You definitely need your best friend to be there for you. I remember in the early years that when I was without an assistant, one of my friends Lisa or Sharon would come and be my assistant for the day. My clients didn’t know that I had to fire my assistant… they just stepped in and helped me. Good friends who believe in you are a key part of the business building process.
An Incredible SNATCHER. I just threw this one in for fun, but you do need that one person who is negative and tries to block ever goal you have. They will keep you on your toes.
A Client. Especially if you’re going the Board of Advisors route, you want a client on your team so that they can give you the other perspective and help you to improve your product and service offerings and levels of service.
Spiritual Advisor. If you ask me, having a spiritual advisor on your team is essential. I bet for some people this will seem out of place, but being able to stay grounded and focused on sharing your gifts and talents with others during this divine business building journey is essential. In good times and bad, your spiritual advisor will keep you focused and moving in the right direction toward authentic alignment.
Whether these team members are staff or volunteer is really between you and them, but I will say that you get what you pay for. So as you decide, keep that in mind. And deciding if they are 1099’s or employees will vary based on your needs and how frequently they support you so be sure to consult your accountant regarding how to bring them on board.
So, what say you? What’s your two cents? We’ve reached the time in this post where you tell me what you think.
- Who’s on your team?
- How did you find them?
- What value are they adding?
- Did I miss anyone that should be on the list?
I can’t wait to read and respond to your comments and I know that others will benefit from them as well.
©2013 by Darnyelle A. Jervey. All Rights Reserved. Darnyelle A. Jervey, MBA, The Incredible Factor Speaker, Business Coach and Marketing Mentor, is the founder of Incredible One Enterprises.com, Incredible Factor University® the Leverage Your Incredible Factor System® a proven step-by-step program for more clients, more income and more leverage in your business. For more information and a FREE audio CD “7 Critical Mistakes Entrepreneurs Must Avoid When Unleashing Your Incredible Factor So You Attract More Clients, Make More Money and Gain More Leverage” just fill out the form below.
