Getting over a "hump"

[bobbin]

Ever been "up against" something you have to get done but been overwhelmed by it?  How did you solve it and how long did it take?

[bobbin]

I'll go first.  I am struggling to pull together my professional ability and a "business presence" so I have something cohesive to "market" to the public.  I'm not a "fly by the seat of your pants" kind of person.  I am orderly, careful, and conservative by nature.  And those traits can be crippling when setting up a business. 

I spent a couple of hours this morning with a graphic artist friend (also talented in marine canvas!) and we hammered out a business card that is more than just white with black printing!  I confided my nervousness about setting up a website and he told me it was "easy".  I told him I wasn't interested in reinventing the wheel and I thought my time/energy could be better spent on other aspects of my business.  Upshot? he's going to set it up for me and I'm going to pay him to do it.  Proceeds from the transaction will provide seed money for his own nascent business.  Our two businesses link together wonderfully and could potentially "cover" a significant and lucrative part of the market. 

Moral:  There is no reason to feel you must do everything for yourself.  Delegation is liberating!

[sofadoc]

Stephen advised that when setting up a website, don't delay waiting for it to be perfect. Just get one up and running, and continue to tweak it as you see fit.
Obviously though, not everyone is wired that way. I have no doubt that your website will be near flawless when it does hit the net.
My website is still pretty crude, but since I have a commercial storefront that provides me more business than I can handle, I don't place as much emphasis on it as I probably should.
Many of the members here on this board have some really nice websites. And for those who rely on a "virtual" storefront, I can see where that would be critical.
Bobbin: You're at a great advantage in that you have your web designer on the ready to make changes as your business evolves.

[kodydog]

Bobbin, successful people are constantly overcoming overwhelming circumstances.

Change is hard for most people to handle and therefore some never do. The hardest thing to overcome is your unconscious mind that is constantly telling you, oh no you can't do that, stay the course, don't deviate in any way. Teach yourself to laugh at your unconscious mind and overrule it with your conscious mind by saying, yes I will.

Don't be afraid to reinvent yourself to get ahead. Bounce your ideas off your spouse, friends or relatives. Listen to what they have to say then do what you think is the best path for you.

Have I ever been up against overwhelming odds? More than can fill this page. Tackle them one at a time, make good decisions and don't let bad ones get you down.

For every problem there is a solution. Looks like you just figured one out.

[bobbin]

One of the toughest things I face is a silly belief that I must do everything "on my own".  Not sure where that comes from but as Kody. pointed out it's important to recognize it and have a chuckle at your own expense. 

Delegating things you can't easily do for yourself is key to overcoming obstacles.  Once I made the decision to hire a good book keeper and work with him the stress of "not knowing how" melted away.  I have a better feel for how the numbers work in the big picture and no stress with how to use the program.  Money well spent!  And so it will be with the business card/website thing.  Once it's up and running the stress will be gone and I'll have the opportunity to tweak it as I wish. 

At a recent seminar I attended I brought this aspect up and it proved to be a topic of lengthy discussion.  Interestingly, I was not the only one who labored under the self-imposed burden of "doing it by yourself". 

[sofadoc]

Business-wise, I don't guess that I've ever really had any seemingly insurmountable humps to get over. I gradually assumed control of an already well established family business as I was growing up in it.

I'm impressed with those of you who either made a mid-life career change, or have decided to hang out your own shingle after years of "workin' for the man".
I'm not sure that I would've ever taken on such a hump, had one presented itself.

As for the everyday humps of life, I'm sure that I had some. But I can't remember a single one right now.

I always think about my grandparents, who loaded up the station wagon, and with little more than the shirts on their backs and a tank of gas, left the only life they ever knew.
Had they not broke down in Dallas (and met a man who owned an upholstery shop in Greenville, Texas), I might be talking about a lot of "humps" of my own right now. But it probably would be on an entirely different discussion board.

[Grebo]

Humps, pretty much most days.

I don't think it's a silly belief that you have to do everything on your own, you are the only one you can really rely on.
Ok that statement comes from try to sub out certain things & 99% of the time getting kicked in the nuts because they have screwed up & it's your neck on the block not the *wat who messed up.  :(

Delegation is absolutely wonderful if you are satisfied that the 'delagee' does the job to your standard.
& unless you can do that you will probably  never make any money ( Thats me).

I agree with virtually everything kodydog said.

Suzi

[gene]

bobbin, I've always said, "It's either time or money."

There are a lot of good books out there about business owners who come to the place where they need to delegate work. Hiring an accountant: can you trust that person? Hiring a worker: how can you tell if they are a good worker or only looking to screw you for the workers comp claim, or a nuisance law suit?

I've mentioned The E Mith Revisited before on this forum. This was the first book that showed me how difficult it can be to delegate work.

Delegate work:

1. communication: what do I want you to do and what will I give you to do it.
2. documentation: put it in writing.

I think the problem is that it is a lot easier for me, and most others, to trust, rather than to do the work to communicate and to document. "Let me just tell you what I want you to do..."

A simple example: I do not pay someone to take the old fabric off furniture that I am going to reupholster. I pay them, a specific amount, to 'prep the furniture'. What does that mean? Well, I have the list right here. It includes taking off the old fabric in a very specific way. It includes removing all stapled that are sticking out. It often includes only loosening the inside arms and inside back panels but not removing them. I will do this afrter I get the new deck on. etc.

Maybe my brain is still smoldering from the fever and I missed it, but the topic of this thread was Getting over a "hump" and I haven't seen one word or picture about a camel.

gene

[byhammerandhand]

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.
George S. Patton

[baileyuph]

Getting over a hump never ends, it requires analysis and additional understanding of the "hump".  LOL.

Seriously, it is a never ending process, as one goes through their career, humps happen!  How one percieves issues and how they respond varies, largely because everyone is different and have different experiences to draw on.

Once a hump is resolved, so to speak, then it becomes intuitive how to go about that task. Do I hear experience in the background?

Hang in there and enjoy the ride, we all face humps and usually feel good as we go about getting over them.  As they say no one is perfect.
D