Entrepreneurs wear many hats - it is part of the life we lead when starting / running your own business. When I started with my first company - patemm inc back in 2004 - it was as if I was having another baby. I was responsible for E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. I loved it, I was in control, and I was happy. I worked my butt off to make sure my business was NOT going to fail especially in the beginning after I launched the company website.
As my business grew, so did the responsibilities. Believe me, I have had my share of sleepless nights, anxiety, and a whole lot of stress. Could I be supermom, raise my family, and continue to build my business? I knew I could and thank goodness for my husband Marty and my parents to help out whenever possible. However, even with their incredible love and support, there was so much adding to my plate of responsibilities with a growing business. Everyone was telling me to get some help to ease the stress. I didn't listen and take action until years later...
During an early growth spurt at patemm, we were so busy with sales, fulfillment, manufacturing, retail inquiries, and all of the media attention, it was hard to keep up. I was overwhelmed and stressed. My strength in the business - Public Relations and Marketing - were slowly taking a back seat as the "other" mundane business responsibilities that I had took over. Sound familiar?
After a lot of convincing from my family and my mentors, and coming to the realization that something needed to be done ASAP, I finally decided to outsource many of the day-to-day responsibilities so I could focus on my strengths within the business. More importantly, re-focus the #1 priority in my life - my family.
Seriously, what was I thinking and why didn't I do this sooner? I was stubborn and I thought I could do it all. Well, I was wrong. This was a big lesson for me as an entrepreneur: "Master your Strengths...Outsource your Weaknesses."
As my business grew, so did the responsibilities. Believe me, I have had my share of sleepless nights, anxiety, and a whole lot of stress. Could I be supermom, raise my family, and continue to build my business? I knew I could and thank goodness for my husband Marty and my parents to help out whenever possible. However, even with their incredible love and support, there was so much adding to my plate of responsibilities with a growing business. Everyone was telling me to get some help to ease the stress. I didn't listen and take action until years later...
During an early growth spurt at patemm, we were so busy with sales, fulfillment, manufacturing, retail inquiries, and all of the media attention, it was hard to keep up. I was overwhelmed and stressed. My strength in the business - Public Relations and Marketing - were slowly taking a back seat as the "other" mundane business responsibilities that I had took over. Sound familiar?
After a lot of convincing from my family and my mentors, and coming to the realization that something needed to be done ASAP, I finally decided to outsource many of the day-to-day responsibilities so I could focus on my strengths within the business. More importantly, re-focus the #1 priority in my life - my family.
Seriously, what was I thinking and why didn't I do this sooner? I was stubborn and I thought I could do it all. Well, I was wrong. This was a big lesson for me as an entrepreneur: "Master your Strengths...Outsource your Weaknesses."
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