MISTAKE #9: You need help. No, you REALLY need help!
We all have issues. You do. I do. Even Steve Jobs had issues. And I’m pretty sure Warren Buffet must have an issue somewhere.
The smartest, most motivated, most experienced, hardest working individual only gets 24 hours each day. Time is a finite resource. Yet many of us spend far more time considering how we manage budgets and money than we do managing our schedule.
We become great at controlling our costs by saying no when someone asks us to write a check, yet we waste our hours doing things we’re not that great at doing which comes at the cost of not having enough time to do the things we’re awesome at.
And experience has taught me that working smart beats working hard. Smart work focuses on the highest priority tasks. It means spending time where your skills bring the most unique value.
It is not about spending more time.
It is about spending more productive time.
Sometimes, embracing this approach means certain things don't get done because they are never a high enough priority. More often, it should mean finding other resources to get them done.
Let me demonstrate with an example.
PLAY THE ROLE OF GENERAL CONTRACTOR, DON’T BE ALL THE SUBS
About 15 years ago, I needed to find a hobby that got me away from my computer. I had once built a birdhouse and found that to be a fun project. So I followed the logical progression and decided to build my own dream house.
While I have great respect for blue-collar workers, I also believe I’ve got the ability to learn most or all of the skills they’ve got. When I took on the task of building a house, I literally meant to build the house with my own hands. And when I got back bids for my foundation (one of the first steps in construction), I realized I had even more incentive to be hands-on.
So, for over two and half years, I worked at my day job and went out to my “project” most evenings and weekends. This was before I had kids, but my wonderful wife still paid a high price during my absence.
During that long process, I learned a lot. Like how wet concrete can cause a nasty chemical burn. Or how water will always find the weak point in your plumbing connections, but only after you’ve left for the night. And never buy wood floors online from an apartment in Chicago that requires advance payment…no matter how low the price is.
To be clear, I didn’t do all the work myself. I did hire some sub-contractors. But I remained very, very hands-on. And the biggest learning I got was related to delegation.
I learned the truth of the age-old saying that the lowest bid is not necessarily the best value. I got smarter about spending my time doing plumbing or electrical work (trades that can bill out at $75 an hour or more) and not attempting to hang and mud drywall on a vaulted ceiling.
I learned how critical having the right tools are for the job.
I learned that certain trades involve true craftsmanship and artistic skill that has to be gained through years of practice. Reading blogs or watching videos about making kitchen cabinets isn’t enough.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO LEARN ABOUT DELEGATION?
In the end, I ultimately built a house I was proud to move into. And I had a smaller mortgage than what it would be had I bought the same house at market prices.
But my house-building experience was not as big of a success as it could have been. There are aspects that I spent far more time and money doing myself than I could have spent hiring a professional. There were inspections that I repeatedly failed. There were finishing details that need to look at today that are far from perfect.
This article must sound very self-serving. After all, my business is to essentially play the role of sub-contractors. I must want to make everyone scared to attempt to do anything alone.
Some readers probably think this is a sorry attempt to discourage people from getting to enjoy the same challenges that I have…learning new skills and getting to experience the frustration and satisfaction of building their business.
But my intent is to help more people discover more satisfaction as they attempt to beat the odds with their new product. It is to share many of the mistakes I have experienced so you can improve your own success.
If you are involved in the launch of a new product, you most likely have the ambition and dedication, and incentive to do all you can to make it succeed.
However, you probably don’t have all the skills and I know you don’t have more than 24 hours in each day to get everything done as fast or as high quality as you would like.
I’ve come to appreciate that a professional builder could have completed my personal home in little more than 45 days with the right crews (versus the 900 or so days it took me).
As your new product launch proceeds, take time to consider where delegation could help you get the best, faster results.
If you are working your way through my series of articles on product failure, thank you. Before you read the next one or follow any links in this article, answer these questions:
What is the unique value I offer?
What can I do to have the biggest impact on success?
Where is the majority of my time being spent?
What activities can I do, but I know I’m not the expert?
Where does it make sense to find other expertise or capacity that can free up my time and deliver higher quality work than I’m capable of?