Real Life Signs That Let You Know It’s Time to Ask for Help

One of the greatest coaches of all time, Vince Lombardi, said, “We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.”

 Owning a Creative Business is Not for the Faint at Heart

If you’re a creative business leader you know achieving your goals also takes persistence, motivation, passion, integrity, vision and flexibility. The entrepreneurial space is not the place for the faint at heart or for those in search of a quick buck.

You better love the field you’re in if you plan on kicking up dust as a business owner. After all, there’s so much to do:  

• Business meetings
• Product launches
• Social media marketing strategies
• Content creation
• Local, regional and national reporting requirements
• Business taxes
• Press releases
• Website development
• Customer relations
• Telephone calls
• Responding to emails 

That’s just a start.  

Even if you’re a jack-of-all-trades, there’s gonna come a time when you’re going to recognize that you need help. Unfortunately, this is a hurdle not every entrepreneur leaps. A desire to control all outcomes and day-to-day deliverables has hamstrung some talented and capable creative business leaders.  

Signs It’s Time to Ask for Help

Don’t let this happen to you. Recognize some of the signs that scream, you could benefit from asking for help. 

• You’re sleeping less than six hours a night (regularly)
• When you leave your office, your loved ones give you the same far away “hey, stranger” look they gave the guy at the gas station five states away when you were on vacation
• A good time to you is seeing your blog stats go up another 100 viewers
• You’ve become so edgy, you growl at your pet dog before it has a chance to bark at you
• The office chair has become such a familiar hip hugger, when you stand to leave your desk for the night, you bones crack, as if screaming for you to sit back down
• Instead of calling your home telephone number, your family and friends just call the office first when they want to talk with you
• You exercise, catch up on your favorite sports scores, eat breakfast, lunch and dinner in your office
• It’s way past midnight and you’re sitting at your desk reading this article (But hey!  We love having you here!  We really do!)
• When something unexpected happens (can’t you just see your child’s kindergarten Christmas play recital) requiring you to be away from the office for extended periods of time you get so hot, steam rolls off the top of your head 

Okay. You get the point. 

Help  Comes in the Form of Other People

Building a good team is a key way to get help. You don’t have to hire employees to offload some of your responsibilities. You can place ads at job boards and hire independent contractors. . . . “But I don’t need staff,” you say. “Instead what I need is someone to help with the direction of my creative business.”  

Consider working with a business consultant, someone with market research, organizational leadership, functional practice (e.g. human resources, technology) and/or organizational development experience. Get price quotes from consultants first; some consultants are pricey. Also get client references.  

Let these proven professionals do the heavy lifting for your human resources, social marketing, technical writing, etc. needs. You’ve got enough on your plate. It’s also time you slowed down enough to take a full breath now and then. 

Bottom line, now more than ever creative business leaders are bombarded with a myriad of online and offline creative business expansion options, projects and deliverables. Ask for help when you see signs that you can benefit from working with one or more other experienced professionals. It’s a good way to loosen the belt on your business so it can continue to grow and thrive. 

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More about Portia and Long Walk Up is available at – www.chistell.com