To get started in business, you need boldness, confidence, and a get-it-done attitude. Unfortunately, early success is often followed by stagnation and owner burnout.
Most company owners I know are go-getters, smart, fast, resilient, and the type of people who Get Stuff Done. I call that “GSD“.
The problem is that the very thing that gets us started is also the thing that gets us stuck. The boldness, the “I can do anything” attitude, the “No one can do it better than me”, and “Nobody can do it as fast as I can”.
These things become limiting factors in our businesses then bleed over and rob the richness from our very own lives.
This is also one of the reasons many contractors end up in Contractor Prison.
This is what I call the Flintstone Syndrome.
Because we feel like smart people and we exude confidence, we constantly reinvent the wheel. We get boulders and commence making wheels. Let me explain…
We start creating from scratch all of the systems that we need in our business. We write our own Sops, our own selling systems and estimating systems. We Market by trial and error. We hire and Fire based on gut feel. The list goes on and on and on. We build things through trial and error starting from absolute scratch every single time.
Why do we do this? Is it because we are smart and think we can do everything? Is it because we are afraid to ask for help and a week? Is it out of pure ignorance?
We really get smart when we begin to build off of and improve the work that others have done before us. Why not stand on their shoulders, and use all of their trial and error and the price of Education that they paid to develop best practices and systems? These things are there for the taking.
The beauty and success come not by building everything from absolute scratch, but by taking working pieces and parts from others and assembling them into our own unique business. Something akin to business plagiarism. And the best part of this is that the most successful people are more than willing to share and help others along.
I’m going to share with you three golden nuggets that I wish I could go back 20-plus years and tell my younger self.
Three Golden Nuggets
Don’t make it from scratch. Start from a successful template.
Whether a system, a process, or even a social media ad, there are so many resources out there that there is no reason to start from scratch.
Don’t be afraid to hire people smarter than you.
Confident leaders do not need to be the smartest person in the room. You need smart people who excel in specific areas that you simply don’t have time to commit to.
Commit to growing more as a leader rather than a technician.
Hire the technicians! If you run a small business, there is only one person who can lead your company, yet there are many technicians that can or can be trained to make the widget or provide the service.
Final Thoughts
In business, it is important to be smart and confident. However, these traits can often lead to stagnation and burnout. Don’t fall for the Flintstone Syndrome! It is important to remember that success does not come from building everything from scratch, but by taking working pieces and parts from others and assembling them into your own unique business. And the best part of this is that the most successful.
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