Step #9 of my Top 20 Tips for Small Business Start Ups is about facing the fact that being brilliant at what you do is not the same as being brilliant at running a business.
Small business owners come from every professional or trade background imaginable. But in the early days, you're often the Jack (or Jill) of All Trades: salesperson, marketer, bookkeeper, customer service team, IT department and chief tea maker, all rolled into one. Nobody is brilliant at all of those from day one, and you don't need to be.
The question isn't "what don't I know?" It's "what do I need to know, by when, and how can I get there?"
Step 1: Do a skills audit
List the main jobs your business needs doing. For most start-ups, it will look something like:
• delivering your product or service
• sales and talking to customers
• marketing and social media
• building and maintaining a website
• bookkeeping, invoicing and tax
• admin and organisation
• legal bits and data protection
• managing your own time and energy
Now, next to each, score your confidence from 1 to 5. Be honest. Then decide what to do about each one, using this simple rule:
Confidence Scores
Score 4 to 5 - Crack on, you're covered
Score 2 to 3 - Learn it, get in a bit of help, or do it in a basic way for now
Score 1 - Learn the basics, or pay someone else to do it
Step 2: Prioritise ruthlessly
You can't learn everything at once, and don’t even try. Choose the two or three skills that will make the biggest difference in the first six months. For a lot of people, that's selling, basic finances and getting visible online. The rest can be looked at later.
A warning from experience: it can become easy to hide in learning. Taking another course feels productive but is sometimes procrastination in disguise. Set a deadline, learn what you need to take the next step, and then take that step.
Step 3: Use free and low-cost learning
There's a surprising amount of help available at no cost:
• The British Library's Business & IP Centre runs free events and workshops and has experts on sales, marketing, funding and more, at the British Library and over 70 libraries around the UK. Have a look at your local centre.
• Your local growth hub. You can find yours through the Growth Hub finder, and the England Business Support Service on 0800 998 1098 can point you in the right direction.
• The National Careers Service has a free skills assessment (40 multiple-choice questions, taking 5 to 10 minutes) to help you understand your strengths and motivations, and a tool for finding a course.
• Free online courses. Sites such as OpenLearn from the Open University offer free courses, and Google Skillshop has free training on Google's marketing and analytics tools.
• Your own network. Ask people you know in the areas you're weak in. Most people love being asked for advice over coffee.
Step 4: Find a mentor or a peer group
Some of the best learning comes from people who've done it before. If you're successful with a Start Up Loan, you also get 12 months of free one-to-one mentoring. Otherwise, look for local business networks, your Chamber of Commerce, or groups for people in your industry, online or in person. Even a monthly chat with another business owner keeps you accountable and stops you feeling like you're doing this alone. I’m available for a free 30-minute online chat too, remember.
Step 5: Know when to outsource
Sometimes the smartest move isn't to learn it, but to pay someone who already knows. A bookkeeper can save you from a nasty surprise at tax time. A designer can make your branding look professional. I can take on your social media and build you a website. A virtual assistant can take admin off your plate.
How to decide:
• Is it high-stakes? Legal, tax and safety issues are usually worth getting right.
• Is it a good use of your time? If an expert can do in an hour what takes you a weekend, the maths is often in their favour.
• Is it something only you can do? Protect your time for the things that make you money.
For money and tax in particular, the ICAEW's Business Advice Service offers a free initial consultation with a regulated accountant, with no obligation.
Be kind to yourself
You'll make mistakes. Everybody does. The people who succeed aren't the ones who know everything on day one, but the ones who keep learning, ask for help and don't give up when something goes wrong.
What to do about this
Don't panic, you don't have to do everything today!
• ☐ Do the skills audit and score yourself honestly
• ☐ Pick your top two or three skills for the next six months
• ☐ Book onto one free workshop or webinar
• ☐ Book a discovery call with me for some advice
• ☐ Decide one task you're happy to outsource
Want a bit of coaching?
I've coached and taught a lot of people through this stage, and I'd love to help you work out where to focus. Book a call with me here.
Next up in the series: Step 10, Separate Out Your Finances. Easier than you think, and you'll thank yourself later.
