Being an entrepreneur doesn’t mean you should always be alone. Joel Castillo recommends keeping these 5 groups of people close by.
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The end goal of entrepreneurship is to help people become independent. No bosses. No supervisors and no co-workers keeping an eye on you work to see if you are working towards the common goal. As an entrepreneur, you are in control of your destiny, and you are only accountable to one person — yourself.
In some cases, the independence can do you more harm than good. As a matter of fact, the most successful entrepreneurs across the world got to where they are because they appreciated the help they got from people around them; family, friends employees. As an entrepreneur, you will be a decision-maker and will design the path you want to follow. If you are a wise entrepreneur, then you won’t do this entirely on your own, you will seek advice from important people.
1. Your Mentors
The first group of people are the mentors. Mentors are people you admire, people that have walked through the path you want to walk in and people that will tell you the reality of what you are putting yourself into. This is a resource you will not want to lose especially if you are a starter. If you do you research, you will discover that most people who have gone into business as entrepreneurs were involved in several businesses before settling on one. These mentors will lead the way for you, they will guide you and give you perspective on many things. In most cases they also do have a large pool of resources and resourceful people and they will help you get there. These are the people you need when building your business.
You should ensure you find a mentor that you trust and one that you admire their work. By finding one, you would have found a leader that can lead the way for you all the way. If finding a mentor has been difficult for you then you can look through social media and see if you can get one. You should focus on people in the industry that you are part of. You can never really know who you will end up meeting.
2. Business Partners You Respect
If you intend to form a partnership or create a joint business with other businesses, then what you should be keen on is finding people who respect you and people who you respect. This will be the basis of your success. If you have a foundation that is based on respect for one another then you will be able to survive through disagreements and other challenges that are difficult to handle as two people or more. Never rush to find a partner, just take time until you are sure you are settling for the right person.
3. Employees You Can Trust
Having great leadership is just one part of the puzzle, the other part is having good employees. To succeed yo will need to have a group of employees who are sure of the final goal you want and who also are dedicated towards achieving that same goal. They will be like the vehicle while you are the driver leading the direction. You should find people who will be able to accomplish tasks that are set out to them and those that are good communicators just in case it becomes too difficult to accomplish tasks.
To attract the right people into your company, what you do is establish the guidelines that define the culture in your company. The interview process should be thorough, this way you will be able to find the right people. Find those people who are sincere and honest instead of going for the traditional ‘most experienced with the best qualifications’
4. Friends You Make Time For
Your friends should be part of your journey, they will be very helpful to you more that you will ever know that is if you let them be part of your journey. Once things get really rough in your business, most people find it quite easy to give up on their personal networks. Working extra time, it is as important to take some time off for yourself.
Through having a healthy balance between personal life and work, you will be able to enjoy the entrepreneurship process. Your friends will encourage you through difficult times and will be there for you when thing do not work out.
5. Supportive Family
Lastly, never ignore how much family can do for you. They have been there with you all the way and therefore they cannot give up you any time. The support of family will keep you going to the end.
They can help you make the right decisions. And because, they love and trust you, they will be the backbone of your success. Take some time off once in a while to spend time with them.
Photo: Snapwire Snaps/Pixabay
Hi Joe, I think it’s important to write a piece like this. Entrepreneurs need all the support they can get. I would add a sixth category to your list. Talented Freelancers. As you say, no entrepreneur should go it all alone. To me (I’ve freelanced over 20 years) some of my most important connections have been the talent with whom I have surrounded myself and call upon when needed. No one can be a specialist in everything. The ability to identify and build a relationship with individuals who can help enhance your business by allowing you to offer “best in… Read more »