Do you have a mentor or a support system for your business? If not you need to get one!
I don't know what I'd do without my mentors and advisors. For over 30 years I ran my businesses all alone. My husband at the time was supportive but knew nothing about running a business - he was from a foreign country and had no clue (nor to be honest, was he even really interested) as to what I was doing. I often heard him say, "why don't you just get a job?" Needless to say, there was not a lot of support there, and as a consequence, my business grew but very slowly and I felt like I was working a job -- not being a boss. That feeling effected EVERY aspect of my world -- including my employees and even my clients.
It was not until I finally decided that I needed to take charge of my world that things started to change. But other than books and then the Internet, I didn't know where to turn or what to do. Then, thanks to a colleague, I met some people who have become very important to my business and to my life. I have joined masterminds -- and believe in them so much that I have now been running them for others for over 10 years. They work. You begin to find that you don't need to "go it alone", but have people who have (or are) going through similar situations and are willing to share, to support, to hold you accountable, and more.
Not only do you find new friends and colleagues, you might also find new vendors, new collaborators, employees and more. This also means that you find ways to cross-promote. When people get to know you and know what you do, they are more likely to recommend you to their contacts. According to Ivan Misner of BNI, each person has at least 250 contacts that they reach out to regularly. So, if you become connected to 2 people that immediately increases your reach by 500 potential customers, and on and on.
While you are unique and your business is as well, there are no new ideas in the world -- sorry to say. However, what that means is that someone else, somewhere else has more than likely experienced something that you are going through, so they probably have experience, knowledge and education that they can share with you to help you interpret and act on for your own business. It might not be something that you want for your company, but it's a great way of widening your perceptions and knowledge for your own business.
Finally, what's also great is that YOU have knowledge and experience that the others can use in their own businesses as well -- thus making this a win-win for everyone. While you're being helped, so are they. This creates a sense of camaraderie that is unlike anything else out there and makes for an intimate board of friends and advisors that mean more to you than anything else when it comes to running (and growing) your business.
It's a great feeling and I urge you to find a program that works for you. In case you'd like to give it a shot -- check out the Level UP! Mastermind in Fort Wayne, IN on May 20 and/or May 21st. I guarantee you won't regret it.