These Boots Were Made For Kicking Butt (Not Intended As a Flotation Device)

The legend of Baron Munchausen introduced the world to the bootstrap metaphor. Instead of sinking into mud or quicksand, the miraculous Baron Munchausen lifted himself up by his bootstraps and saved himself from a terrible fate, once again proving that he was the unique, the wonderful, the legendary Baron Munchausen.

So....what, there was no rope around? He couldn't figure out how to get someone to throw him a branch or anything? Float? Read the Worst-Case Scenario Survival Guide? Not go walking along a path that says, "Danger: Quicksand, You're Probably Going to Die Coming In Here"?

Admit it, you're not a wunderkind, Jack-of-all-trades, Germanic baron. You're someone who knows how to kick major butt at what you do, and you're good at it. But you're no fool either, and you've not yet found a challenge you can't conquer.

But tell the truth - you suck at the detail stuff you don't like to do.

I love artwork and design. The way elements flow together, the spacing, the intrinsic value of color and complement. I just can't DO it myself. I fail at the drawing category in Cranium, my maps inevitably take people in circles, and if you're lucky, on a good day, I might be able to draw something that's either a horse, an elephant, or a llama, but is more likely to be an emu with a glandular problem.

But I completely and totally ROCK at layout and design of information flow. I know intrinsically how language flows together, and how to say one thing without implying another. So, if it came down to me needing to put together a logo for my company and saving myself money, I should do it myself to save on the bills, right?

Every Biznik member in the business services should be howling “WRONG!” right along with me. I mean, what is Biznik for if not finding people who can do stuff you can't? "How hard can it be?" only takes you so far. Eventually, you're going to need a hand.

TaxCut's continued successful advertising campaign highlights the fact that their software goes through options in a “choose-your-own-adventure in tax breaks” story that results in their customers getting nice big fat refunds. It's a very appealing concept to most people, for whom doing taxes by hand was about as much fun as figuring out a story problem involving trains, and fifteen times more time-consuming.

If getting your business taxes done only required five minutes of actual time, how many people would get them done between morning coffee and the first email of the day?

That same approach should be used when it comes to development of your business. As an independent business owner, you may not have the resources to pay someone to build you a logo, or a website, or do your taxes for you. Payroll, telephony, and all the other aspects of your business aren't your strengths – you happen to be an incredible (insert profession here), and you're kicking ass and taking names at what you do. But you're not succeeding at what you do, and you're feeling like there's just too much work to do.

The myth of bootstrapping is everywhere in American society. “I built this with my own two hands” is an incredibly cool thing to be able to say to people when they ask you how long it took you to build your business, but be honest – every small business owner relies on their internal and external network of contacts and former associates to get the job done. Nobody pulls themselves up by their bootstraps any more. Oh, it still takes a lot of hard work to be successful, but success or failure relies more on your interactions with others than it does on how many hours you work in a day.

Knowing what you are good at and what you need to spend your time on is a huge portion of being successful in business. It's called resource management, and even if your resource pool is you and the sentient mold in the old Kung Pao Beef carton from last month's marathon project deadline.

There's nothing wrong about using your network to trade services, to develop contacts, or even to find someone to scrub your toilet once a month so your clients don't come over and find that the bathroom fungus has armed and is about to invade the United Republic of Kitchenland. And with good, reliable people working with you and collaborating on your projects, the most troublesome parts of your small business become as simple as asking, “Hey, is it done yet?”

I consulted with a client recently who told me that he didn't need me to format his document for publication, that he was taking a class that would teach him how to use a software program and that it would be the best thing for him. I think my face gave away the expression, because he said, “No no no, it's actually cheaper this way!”

Without actually saying, “Are you KIDDING me? Are you INSANE? Do you know how much that's going to cost you?”, I helped him tally up the cost of the software he wanted to use ($1500 total for the package), the three classes he would have to take to learn how to operate the programs ($2,000), the opportunity cost of the time invested in those classes, and the specialized knowledge that gave his vision clarity. Not to mention the value of frustration in making something do what you want it to do, especially when learning new software on-the-fly.

And, then I pointed out that by comparison, my rates to just get it done in a week according to what his client wanted was a miraculous bargain.

Once you crack that mindset that you MUST be able to do it by yourself, and realize that it's really whether you could do it by yourself, or use that time to work on the things you really need to accomplish, it's a no-brainer. Sure, it'll cost you extra in the short-term, but in the long-term you'll be more productive and more focused on what you do best.