Almost everything is easier with help and support from someone who is going through the exact same thing. When you have someone to reach out to you that can truly empathize with the daily challenges of being a small business owner, it can be just what you need to keep you going when you feel frustrated or like giving up altogether.
In this step to Building a Better Business, your task is to reach out to another entrepreneur or group of entrepreneurs. The idea is to make a connection with another business owner who is as committed to building the business of their dreams as you are to yours, and regularly interact with them for encouragement, support, and mutual accountability. It’s sort of like having a workout partner.
Just as you would do if you were choosing a workout partner, you should make sure that your ‘business buddy’ is a partner worth having. Here are some guidelines for selecting a buddy:
- Choose someone who’s serious - This probably goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. Select a business buddy that is serious about pursuing their business full time, not someone who treats their business as a hobby, an afterthought, or a get-rich-quick scheme.
- Choose someone who shares similar values - Your business buddy doesn’t have to align 100% with your view of the world, but it’s helpful to buddy-up with someone who doesn’t have a totally different set of ethics or a morals that conflict with yours.
- Choose someone who knows something different and/or more than you do – Try not to select a business buddy who doesn’t know as much as you do, or who has the exact same type of skills. While it may be flattering to your ego to partner with a buddy that will look up to you as an expert, you won’t be likely to get much out of it. If you partner with someone who knows what you already know and vice-versa, neither of you will benefit from the other’s different experiences.
- Choose more than one buddy - Instead of just one buddy, find a group of several, non-competing business owners that meet the above criteria. Just make sure that the group stays small enough to manage and to allow everyone to interact with everyone else. Start by looking at the allies you identified in Step 10 of Building a Better Business, and seeing if any of them would also make good business buddies.
Once you’ve chosen your business buddy or buddies, set a schedule for how often you will meet. Try to meet at least once a month, or more often if you can, so you can establish a rapport and get to know each other better. Face-to-face meetings are best. Your buddy meetings should be informal and casual, but not only a social hour, a pity party or a gripe session. Each time you meet with your business buddy, you should review any accomplishments or setbacks you’ve had since your last meeting, congratulate each other on the successes, offer suggestions on ways to resolve issues, and encourage each other to set new goals that will be discussed the next time you meet. You can even start by inviting your business buddy to complete the 30 Steps to Build a Better Business along with you.
photo by larryzou@ (Flickr)
