On Tuesday, Wiet told you about the importance of teaming up with the right people on your journey in life.
I was touched by his words. And the truth is that I’m deeply honored to be working with Wiet.
He’s an incredible entrepreneur, and an all-around inspiring person to be around.
But teaming up with Wiet took breaking through the initial belief that I could do everything on my own – that my business could be a one-man team.
Maybe you’ve had similar thoughts in the past – or this morning.
It’s a common trait among solopreneurs and people who have moderate success working for themselves.
You see something working, and before you know it, you find yourself doing literally everything in your business – the accounting, the marketing, the legal, the finances, etc.
The sad reality is that your independence will kill you – and your gifts.
I truly believe at my core that business is a spiritual pursuit that should be used to grow, share your talents and contribute to the world.
It’s an extension of your identity, values, and beliefs – and the manifestation of your desire to go beyond yourself.
Business can also be used to meet your needs for significance and certainty in life. But if you make them the leading reasons for being in business, you’ll end up frustrated and lonely.
Because business isn’t about you.
Business is about finding out what other people need and using your talents, abilities, and skills to give it to them.
In other words – it’s about what others need – not about what you want.
But if you give people what they want, you’ll be rewarded. It’s a win-win.
To get there, however, one of the most important realizations you can have is that you won’t do anyone a favor by doing everything yourself. It won’t serve you, and it won’t serve your customers.
Yes, you might be able to make a few bucks on your own. But in the long-run, a strong team will vastly outperform anything you could do on your own.
That’s why you never see any billion-dollar businesses with one employee.
It’s a fact of life that no one person alone can run a successful business that actually provides competitive, long-term sustainable value to a large group of customers.
That’s because business is a team sport.
You can’t – and shouldn’t – do it on your own.
That isn’t always an easy idea to accept. It goes counter to the way we were raised and conditioned in school.
All throughout your childhood, you were taught in a classroom that you had to succeed on your own. You had to be special, to know everything, and cram as much of it in your brain to excel by yourself.
Exams were always individual. In fact, working with others was considered cheating.
But that’s not how life works.
To be successful in business, you need a team.
You need partners, accountants, marketers, lawyers, agents, managers, etc. – you name it.
Now, you can try to show up by yourself. But your competition won’t. Likely, they’ll be more like a rugby team – waiting for the first opportunity to smash you out of business.
You’ll be defeated, no matter how good you are.
And you should be – because an individual will never have the effectiveness of a team to deliver a high-quality product or service to a customer.
Ultimately, that’s the goal: to serve others.
And that’s the main lesson I want you to think about today.
Would your customers be better served if you had a more effective marketing channel, a faster and friendlier customer service, or a smoother product delivery process?
My guess is – yes.
So ask yourself: what is the primary way you add exponential value to your business today? What is the core function or competency you have that really moves the needle?
Next – decide to focus on that. And find people who can help you with everything else.
When you focus on what you’re good at – your business will take a different path. And only then will your true potential start to reveal itself.
To freedom,
