Entrepreneur or Superman – Who Makes More Money

Fellow entrepreneurs please comment on this and share your story!

I love this description from Michael Gerber’s The E-Myth Revisited:

“Picture the typical entrepreneur and Herculean pictures come to mind: a man or woman standing alone, wind-blown against the elements, bravely defying insurmountable odds, climbing sheer faces of treacherous rock – all to realize the dream of creating a business of one’s own. The legend reeks of nobility, of lofty extra-human efforts, of prodigious commitment to larger-than-life ideals.”

Well, I don’t know about you, but that PERFECTLY describes me in every entrepreneurial venture I’ve ever started! – NOT!

Actually, it perfectly describes what I was thinking I should be, and do, in my early ventures that didn’t work out so well.

The idea that a successful entrepreneur is a “lone wolf” or a super hero is pure B.S.

Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, business is a team sport and the better your team the better your business. Think about it for a minute… can you name one successful entrepreneur that did it all by themselves?

I challenge you to name just one! If you think you have one tell me about him or her in the comment section below.

Okay, so if you buy into the fact that business is a team sport, you’re probably wondering how to put together a first class team. Well it’s easier than you think. Here are 4 options:

First, let me say that the most important step in building a world-class team is to “know what you don’t know”. In other words you’ve got to be honest with yourself about your strengths (I hope you have at least one!) and your weaknesses. So, first, take stock in your abilities.

Now you’ll know what to look for in others, and here’s how to find them:

1. Take on partners. Find other entrepreneurial minded people who can compliment your skills.

2. Create a Board of Advisors. Assemble a group of people who will agree to advise you on a periodic basis. You won’t necessarily need to pay them and they can swoop in when needed

3. Build a virtual team. With the form and function of the internet today it is possible to build and manage a team of virtual players from around the world. I have, and it’s extremely powerful and very cost effective.

4. Build your business as a part of a larger team. Many franchising models today allow you the freedom to build a business “your way” and still take advantage of the benefits of a franchise infrastructure. This is the option I used, and continue to use, as I run my international nutritional products distribution web design company.

Let me, and the rest of the world, know your story. Are you a lone-wolf or do you have a team (virtual or otherwise) that surrounds you and propels your success?

Thanks for sharing!