Years ago, I remember someone telling me that Ted Turner (You know, the owner of the Atlanta Braves, WTBS, and probably many more things?) got started with a small radio station. He went on the air, and he simply asked people for money. I don't know whether this will work all of the time, but it seemed to work so well for him, I think we'd all be foolish not to try. I don't know comfortable I am asking for people's money, especially when I am just learning something, but I've learned to feel more comfortable asking for help.
Asking for help (often) does a lot of things for me:
- Makes me stop fighting myself: I'm not always happy to admit that I do not know something, or that I cannot accomplish something on my own. Once I realize that I can't or shouldn't go solo, then I stop wasting energy. Many people do not want to "look stupid." I don't mind "looking stupid," but I really do not want to do stupid things.
- Builds My Network: Many people, including myself, love to help people. Other people, including myself, love to be the expert at something. Some people will be irritated by the request, but many people appreciate a chance to share their world with you.
- Provides Me More Information to Teach Other People: This also builds my network of people, which might help build a customer list. Also, learning material that I teach later only forces me to learn things better.
- Supplies You with Help You Need: Duh! Isn't this what we wanted or needed in the first place? The important part of this is that it allows me to spend more time implementing good ideas than simply trying to figure out them. Analysis is really fun for me, but being able to deliver results earn a feeling that is tough to top.
I know that a lot of people have a hard time with this. If you fall in this category and have questions, please ask me. I'll gladly walk you through it. Just like there are benefits to asking for help, providing help does, too.
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