As a small business owner, the importance of teamwork can’t be emphasized enough. While I’ve had to wear many (MANY) different hats over the years, I know that building a successful business does not come via one’s hands alone.
During the early days of building my first online wellness business, I did everything. I answered phone calls, packed and shipped orders, replied to emails, maintained inventory, wrote blog posts and newsletters and worked social media. I’d worry about paying the bills. Money was hard to come by, but making the leap to hire someone to help me in the day to day management of the business was one of the best decisions I ever made. By taking every day activities like shipping, customer service and inventory management off my plate, I was able to focus on the task of building the business. I left the accounting to an accountant. And, I hired someone to help with social media. While it seemed that I was spending money that I didn’t have, hiring an employee and other specialists was one of the best business decisions I made.
Delegation is Key
As a bit of a self-admitted control freak, delegation did not come easily. The right way was to do it perfectly and to do it my way. I soon discovered that this was a recipe for disaster. While good systems and best practices are essential to business success, people often get to the same endpoint in different ways. If you hire well – intelligent, motivated and resourceful people – things get looked after just as well and often better, than one person trying to juggle too many things at once. Team members who understand the direction of the company, its processes and its hardships take ownership in a way that allows a company to flourish. In order to thrive, a business needs to rely on a group of people who look after different aspects of the company. Teamwork ensures for a division of labour that helps to maximize efficiencies, allow specialists to do what they do best and for everything to get accomplished in the best possible way.
Today, I work with a range of people who are employees, contractors and consultants.
- Customer Service Specialists
- Social Media Manager/PR Consultant
- Accountant
- Internet Specialists
- Photographers/Videographers
- Writers
Their focus on specific activities frees me to the job of building Apothekari.
The old adage “Two heads are better than one” exists for a reason. It’s true! Effective teamwork fosters creativity, builds trust, blends complementary skills and promotes a wider sense of ownership. It’s a business lesson I’ve learned well.
