An Open Letter to Business Owners

By Robyn MacKillop | July 6, 2019 |

Are you running your own business in survival mode? Do you find a lag in sales every so often or realize a process you need to have in place isn’t?

Running a business takes grit, determination, creativity, resilience and drive. It also takes help.

You can’t do everything on your own. There is nothing more frustrating than spending time on tasks you don’t like doing or impede your ability to grow your business.

If you find yourself in a situation where there are too many things preventing you from doing what you love or serving your clients, it is time to hire a business advisor.

When was the last time you had some help?

There are many things a business owner must know and be able to do. You need practical, actionable and timely business education to get from where you are to where you want to go. It’s easy to find if you know where to look and you’ve already done the heavy lifting by reading this.

Most people I’ve talked to want one or more of the following:

Be considered an expert
Understand finances
Know how to hire team members
Know how to fire team members
Know how to determine ideal clients
Know how to reach ideal clients
Be social media savvy
Have an online presence
Build products and programs
Speak in front of people
Make sales calls that convert
Know your value
Teach online

Business information and know-how is necessary for the day to day activities you perform as a business owner. It helps to have help navigating.

Ours is a technological world, always moving forward and upgrading. We have to know how to utilize and harness technology and understand its role in building our businesses.

I have run my own business for over ten years. I used to teach business at the high school and college level. Check out this list of standards the National Business Education Association recommends high school students know before graduating. How many do you feel comfortable with?

Function as economically literate citizens through the development of personal consumer economic skills, knowledge of social and government responsibility, and an understanding of business operations.
Demonstrate interpersonal, teamwork, and leadership skills necessary to function in multicultural business setting.
Develop career awareness and related skills to enable them to make viable career choices and become employable in a variety of business careers.
Select and apply the tools of technology as they relate to personal and business decision making.
Communicate effectively as writers, listeners, and speakers in social and business settings.
Use accounting procedures to make decisions about planning, organizing, and allocating resources.
Apply the principles of law in personal and business settings.
Prepare to become entrepreneurs by drawing from their general understanding of all aspects of business.
Understand the interrelationships of different functional areas of business and the impact of one component on another.
Develop the ability to participate in business transactions in both the domestic and international arenas.
Develop the ability to market the assets each individual has whether they be in the labor market or in the consumer goods market.
Manage data from all of the functional areas of business needed to make wise management decisions.
Utilize analytical tools needed to understand and make reasoned decisions about economic issues – both personal and societal.

It’s a comprehensive list and I know very few students leave high school with these standards in place. In fact, as a multi-degreed person I’m not sure university graduates have a handle on these either.

Formal education is great. I highly recommend it. But it cannot turn you into an entrepreneur or business owner. You have to have some skills that can’t be taught, like drive, motivation, a need and desire to serve, and a willingness to go all in.

If you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur, or you are already running your business, your next step is to work with an advisor, coach or consultant – someone who understands where you are because they’ve been there.

Turns out, I’m a great business teacher and can help you build your business. I will help you: