This past weekend I learned the importance of not flying solo in your business activities. I took a weekend off to spend time with one of my sons, and we traveled to a small British Columbia town called Cranbrook to watch our hockey team from Calgary take on the Kootenay Ice. Hockey is a long time escape from reality for me, especially when it involves getting out of town for an overnight trip.
This trip is still going as I write this article, almost 24 hours after we should have been back home. I ran into some car trouble, and for safety reasons, decided to stay in Cranbrook for another night. Those that have driven in the Rockies in the winter can understand my reasoning here, especially when it is -20C outside.
The lesson that I learned this week was the importance of not flying solo in your business. I am fortunate to have partners and great employees that can cover for me in the event of an emergency just like what is happening this weekend. Without my partners in all of my businesses, services would stop and I would not be producing any revenues during this time away.
Business continues even when I am sitting at the auto dealer watching my car hoisted into the air and having work done on it. My clients are being well looked after by my staff back home and everything continues just as if I was physically there.
With the advances in modern day technology, I am still able to remain in contact with the office through electronic mail and cellular telephones so I can still answer client calls and take care of things that do not require my physical presence at the office.
This is a wake up call for all of you that are flying solo! It is great to learn to fly solo, just like flying an airplane; you need to have this skill, just in case you ever need to do it. Remember you need to have the skills to walk the talk, however, how many pilots of commercial airlines do you see flying by themselves? None. They all have someone right by their side to assist them when it is needed. This gives the pilot the flexibility to see to other items on the plane or just take a break. Your business needs a co-pilot as well. This person does not have to be a business partner; it can be someone that you trust or a skilled employee that has the ability to take the control for a short period of time.
If you are a sole entrepreneur, team up with a single person in your industry so that you guys can cover for each other when emergencies happen that need urgent attention while you are away or even sick.
Not having someone to cover you when you are sick is worse than being stuck four hours from home with no way of getting in for quite some time. When you are ill, your mind is not working at its full potential and extended periods of sickness will affect your business. Your clients will sincerely wish for your speedy recovery, however, business is business, and when you cannot perform your duties or have someone that represents you take care of their needs, well, your plane is doing a nose dive straight to the ground.
This same concept is what makes businesses hesitant to hire lone rangers—too many things rely on one single person and a big risk comes with that reliance. Clients do not like risk and will choose a company with a team, if given the chance. Having a team of trusted employees, partners and business associates will ensure that your business continues to thrive when you cannot be physically there to take care of things. And really as entrepreneurs, do you really want to be there all the time anyway?
About the Author:
Stuart Crawford is a business leader in the Calgary, Alberta small business computer consulting business. He has taken his best practices of success in this market and is sharing this with other IT consultants throughout the world. He can be reached at
stuart@stuartcrawford.com. For small business IT answers turn to
http://www.calgarysmbshow.com.
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454
Date Published :
Jan 15 2007