Just DON'T do IT!

Jack of all Trades, Master of None

Like many small bootstrapped businesses, I started the company like a one man band. I was trying to play all the instruments of my business at once. However, I found that while I was a great computer consultant, I wasn't very good at taxes, or graphic design, (or matching my clothing). I figured that if I could keep my checkbook balanced at home, maybe I could be an expert at business bookkeeping, tax law and business entity creation. When I finally called in an outside expert, I found I had made several mistakes in my bookkeeping. In the modern business world, as skills are becoming more diversified, you can not afford to be a Jack of all trades but the master of none.

The Master Florist

IT is no different. The master florist is eating his competitor's lunch because he is doing new and innovative things with flowers instead of wasting his time figuring out IT problems.

I have worked with many small business owners that know a great deal about computers and networking. They are successful because they realize their success lies in spending their time on what they do best. Learning that just because you own the business doesn't mean you have to be the one who washes the windows, does the tax return, designs the logo or manages the network is an important epiphany that every business owner needs to have.