It’s a dilemma. Here you are, an expert consultant used to giving advice to people on their business, or professional with a specialty in HR, IT, Marketing etc and yet now you have your own business you are stuck. What sort of contracts should I set up? How do I get money in? What payment gateway do I need? Do I have to use social media? Where do I start?

These will all sound too familiar to many of you corporate escapees. All those departments on different levels with names like IT, Accounts & Marketing are no longer there. The buck stops with you!

You really don’t know what you don’t know, commonly known as “Unconscious incompetence” & yet you are an expert in what you do. Never lose sight of your expertise or “superpower” because that is what will make your business a success. Now you need to take your own advice & ask for help from an expert. And the good news is that at least you know the names of all those functions or departments, those topics that you need to learn about.

Let’s start with say branding, often talked about, but not often well known. Let’s get this straight now, branding is not just a logo. You need to think about your business, your why, who you want to help and your brand values. The more effort you put in now the better you will be rewarded with clients later. So, don’t look for the local graphic designer or jump straight into Fiverr, take some time to answer these questions and chat to an expert.

Another place might be to find an accountant. They operate beyond doing your tax, they often help with financial strategies, business structures, processes for account keeping etc They are going to ask you questions about your financial goals, how much you need to make to live on, what your investment plan is etc. One confronting questions is, “do you ultimately want to sell the business?” but it is a good one to think about upfront. Like building a house you cannot build 2 stories unless you have the right foundations & building a business is just the same.

The dilemma comes back to you. Don’t let your perception of being an “expert” stop you. Our advice to you is to get out of your way & ask for the help you need from other experts just like you. 

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