While you may be a solopreneur, it doesn’t mean you can’t work with a team whether virtual or real to take your business (and theirs) farther. As a designer I have a real team that consists of my installers, my workrooms, my artists, my vendors, my deliver talent, my interns, and more.
Yet none of these people or their companies work under me, instead they work with me. We have created a winning and constant relationship of mutual respect, business building, and profitability. We refer business to one another and support each other in every job professionally and even personally.
Who is on your team? If you haven’t created one, it is time to dive in. This is about creating value relationships that mean your team will stand with you and beside you on every job. Don’t wait till you need someone in that place, instead build your team in advance of your need.
As a marketer my team consists of my webmaster, my graphic designer, my affiliate managers, my Virtual Assistants (yes, more than one), my transcriptionist, my teleseminar manager and my computer tech. They are all virtual but no less real or important to the success of my business. I know clearly how each of them works, the lead times they require and retainers to keep my work a priority. They will go the extra mile, because they know that I am loyal and love to refer business (affiliate or not). Who is on your team? It’s time to build alliances and stop working in a vacuum.
Your team is there to support you, congratulate you on your way up, and assist you with challenges that will inevitably occur. Never underestimate the power of your team. If you don’t have one, build one and be good to them. Be picky, sometimes you may have to try out a number of players before you find the right fit. Oh, and I encourage my team members to work together without me. If they couldn’t function without me, it wouldn’t be much of a team.
Having a team will save you time, money, and provide continual creative resources for solving those sticky issues that arise or just keep you on track when you are juggling a bit too much.
