It's improtant to be honest with yourself about what you can't do. But do you always need to hire new people if there are things you have no experience of? Not necessarily. Necessity being the mother of invention particularly in a small business, you will often be able to learn new skills. However, this doesn't mean going into a classroom and taking a course, there's more than one way to get the skills you need.
You can effectively learn from anyone you talk to and this means your friends and family, the bank, other business owners as well as professional advisers. Talking over and swapping ideas is very valuable because you benefit from other people's experience and sometimes just a different perspective.
And you will need to ditch your ego because a large part of this will be taking criticism and advice you may not want to hear. You don't have to act on everything - that would be impossible - but you should listen to all ideas for the one that could just make the difference to your business.
But the most important people to listen to are your customers. This is not a case of praise for praise sake but asking your customers what it is you do well will help you keep those standards high. Equally, it will highlight any area of your operation that is lacking.
Effectively all of these people that you talk to have become part of your team. It is varied and its members will change often - you may only speak to some once - but this is the support network behind your business and is vital to your success.
As well as talking to anyone and everyone, don't forget you can use organisations like Business Link as an extension of your team. Business adviser Peter Quest explains:
"Enterprise agencies run business start up courses that specifically cover the range of skills you need to run a business. Participants are directed towards the areas that will specifically help their businesses grow."
Sophie Brown of Marmalade Cards in Cambridge found her course to be a positive experience: "I went to the Cambridge Enterprise Agency and did a course on how to approach business. I was incredibly nervous before hand but it was full of people just like me and in end it really boosted my confidence. All for £12.50, which is nothing."
Enterprise Agencies and Business Links are designed to give you access to specific advice but also put you in touch with your peers. The main message is that you are not alone - which is handy when you're creating a team.
