Working Together To Work For Yourself

This is a guest post by Jessica Wright. Jessica knows a thing or two about small business and building the support network of your dreams.  She owns and runs Crude Cosmetics and co-founded Ace Department - The Secret Society of The Entrepreneuse.  You can follow her on Twitter for heaps of great business insights.

Every entrepreneur wants the glory of running a successful venture of their own creation, but the few who persevere are the ones with standout businesses.  So how can you turn yourself into one of the golden girls?  Just do the work.

I know.  It's disappointingly simple.  But the truth is there is no universal truth beyond that.  The bottom line for business is work.  And if it's your business, you're the one who has to do it.  (Or pay for it, but that's a dream for another day.)

So how to make it work?  Take whatever you have – an idea, a resource, a contact – and work it.  Do something, anything, everyday until you have something.  Make it work until it works.  Then make it work better.

For now, let's say what you have is a talented group of friends.  The shortest path toward success for you might be learning how to workshop. 

What can a workshop mentality do for my business?

The power of a smart group has been well-documented.  And as long as you don't fall down the rabbit hole of recursive group think, work-shopping is a great way to assemble a diverse set of opinions, experience, and advice.

Big companies, start-ups, and non-profits alike have been doing this for ages with the advisory board and board of directors — each person is chosen for the benefit of her experiences, connections, and expertise, and mixed together with a group of people she otherwise might not know to cull relevant bits of data into strategic plans for the advisee.

Specifically for young companies, workshops are a proven means of giving your brand “cred” by association.    (Remember what the VCs say.)  But the most obvious benefit of the workshop is the FREE INFORMATION it provides.  Which is not to say every morsel you take away will be easily translated into success for your business, but you do gain perspective at no cost beyond your time.

And this is where people usually think,  How can I afford to share specific information about my company — won’t people steal?  No.

• ● It’s hard to steal.  You’re wherever you are in your business after much dedicated work, so expecting that someone is immediately ready to poach your ideas is unrealistic.
  ● If you’re working with a discreet group of people, you technically could pursue someone if they broke with discretion and harmed your business.
  ● But it’s not going to come to that.  Because you’re working with the right group, with people you both value and trust.  And because it’s hard to steal.  

Businesses without a support structure are the ones most likely to fail.  My advice is to let go of the fear and embrace your entrepreneurism.  Take the risk, share your story, and see what comes of it.  Make it work.

What you’re looking for:

● personalized feedback
● advice from business owners who have been in your shoes and professionals with relevant expertise
● a forum to vent your frustrations in a private, targeted way

In a follow up post, we’ll talk about the specific hows, whys and oh-my-god-now-what’s of starting your own work group workshop! 

Photo Credits :: Jessica Wright

Do you reach out to others in your field?  How? Share in the comments!