Let’s say you’re a super talented, hyper ambitious, very focused and hard working entrepreneur. You’ve launched your business and taken it to a certain level.

At some point in the growth of your business you’re going to reach a place where, even if prospects are rosy and revenues are rising, you feel like you are treading water.  Well, not exactly treading water.  More like thrashing about, spending a whole lot of energy, when you haven’t much to spare, trying to tread water and stay afloat.

Here’s some insight for you….. trust me on this…..you’ve reached your tipping point. When you started, if you were like most entrepreneurs, you were a “jack of all trades”, wearing many different hats and juggling  many different tasks.  Maybe, if you were like me, you were caught in the down draft of the dot com speed bump, and had to lighten up the pay roll and re-assume some tasks you thought you’d escaped forever, like, in my case, doing my own tech work.  ( I wasn’t freaked out however, because every business I’ve ever been in has had its roller coaster moments, if you’re in it long enough. You learn, over time, the important thing is to survive, so , if you’re a true entrepreneur, just like betting in a card game, you know when you have to lighten up and when you have to start putting more chips in to stay in the game.)

When you feel like you’re thrashing about, trying to tread water, it’s time for you to put in more chips and and start to build a team.  It doesn’t have to be a full fledged in house team at this early stage.  Start small with a few out sourced helpers to share some of the tasks. All the help you need is in “the cloud” somewhere or in your “hood” whether that be real or virtual, your corner of the Net.

Outsource

Need a worker or a team?  Go to Elance.com and hire them. Or go to Google and find a contractor who specializes in the work you need. It’s a tried and true entrepreneur strategy at this early stage of growth when your needs have increased but your revenue won’t yet support a full staff.

I would suggest starting with specialists who just work on one area of your business.  In other words, you don’t necessarily want your first hire to consist of that “Gal Friday” or “Guy Friday”, the jack of all trades administrative assistant who can answer your phone, arrange your appointments, hand you your schedule or line up vendors.

Victoria Colligan, founder of Ladies Who Launch, which provides resources and connections for women entrepreneurs says in Getting From Good To Great | Starting a Business and Growing your Company, ” In the start-up environment we have a tendency to choose helpers who are “jacks of all trades” and can juggle and handle many different roles. This works in the beginning but not for growth. If you want to take it up a notch, give each person a crystal clear role and hold everyone accountable by establishing metrics and a strategy for each area of the business.”

This method also provides a skeletal structure capable of supporting growth for your company.  You begin to see your company not as an outgrowth of your personality but as a separate, stand alone system, powered  by the different parts of it :  Joe who has the technology role, Pamela who has the marketing role.  The system is supported by the different roles, not the people who fill them as that may change.  It almost always does change, particularly as you grow.  But, at the moment, “We Are Techs” Inc., or whatever outsourced company, can fill your technology role.  Perhaps “Yellow Pages” can fill your sales role.

Collaboration

Victoria makes another really sound point.  You can also handle growth by collaboration with other companies or individuals:

“Supplement your weak areas: Surround yourself with those who have complementary skills. Network, network, network to find them. Find what you are good at and what you enjoy doing and partner with those that can fill in the gaps.”

As you build your team, you will begin to realize the old limitations are longer there.  You have moved beyond them.  You are no longer treading water, you are powering through it. When you have your team in place you will experience an amazing dynamic: you will be free to soar -  you can work on those things you are best at and you can make new break throughs and start to lead your team and your business into exciting new frontiers.

Growth of Solo, Self-employed, Freelancers, Independent Contractor Businesses – How Do They Do It?

Working In Teams Produces Better Results, Gives You An Exit Strategy

In the start-up environment we have a tendency to choose helpers who are “jacks of all trades” and can juggle and handle many different roles. This works in the beginning but not for growth. If you want to take it up a notch, give each person a crystal clear role and hold everyone accountable by establishing metrics and a strategy for each area of the business.

Victoria Colligan is the Founder of Ladies Who Launch, which provide resources and connections for women entrepreneurs. Women are launching businesses at twice the rate of men, and they are doing it primarily for lifestyle reasons–they want more freedom, flexibility, and creativity in their lives.

n Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t,
Jim Collins shares the results of a study of a set of elite companies, defined by tough benchmarks, that have achieved great results over a sustained period of time.

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