Learning To Ask For and Accept Help as a Business Owner

October 6, 2020

Running a business can be lonely. Oftentimes there are things you need to do to get to where you want to be alone, and this can make you feel far away from everybody else. However, that doesn't mean you should become hyper-independent and never ask anybody for help. Many business owners struggle to ask for and accept help, but it is without question one of the best things they can learn to do. 

Why is learning to ask for help so beneficial?

Knowing why you should be asking for help could push you to do so. 

  • You should have a renewed sense of energy – when somebody takes the time out to help you, it can give you a sense of energy and purpose and keep you pushing through. 
  • Potential for growth – when you ask for help you’re networking, which can give your business the opportunity for growth. You will also grow your network, which can only be a good thing for your business. 
  • You’ll get a new perspective – listening to how others would approach and solve problems can help you to gain a new perspective and change your own thinking. You might even get a breakthrough insight into something that you never would have considered. They may also come to you for help at some point, too, and this can help to create even stronger connections. 

How To Make Asking For Help Easier 

Asking for help is something many people find hard. However, there are things you can do to make this easier. 

  • Find people you can learn from – make sure you work with people you can ask for help, and make connections with people you feel comfortable asking for help from. 
  • Never stop learning – be willing to learn from other people, even people that have nothing to do with your business. You never know what life lessons or valuable nuggets of information you’ll pick up on. 
  • Look into consultancy – a consultant may be able to look at your business objectively and tell you what you need to improve on. 

Look into marketing – you can’t do everything yourself, and this is never more true than when looking at it from a marketing angle. You will need to work with a reliable adwords agency and potentially other agencies if you’re going to nail an online strategy and ensure you’re reaching as many people as you can. If you attempt to do things like this yourself, you won’t get good results, and you’ll be spending time away from whatever it is you’re actually good at.

You need to remember when learning this that the gain here is not necessarily the end result, but the process. Every connection that you make along the way will help you to grow your network and will allow you to have a further reach not just for yourself, but for your business. Remember the age-old saying, too ‘it’s not what you know, it’s who you know!’

Mark Asquith

That British podcast guy, Mark is co-founder of Captivate.fm, the world's only growth-oriented podcast host. A Harvard, TEDx, Podcast Movement and Podfest speaker (amongst many more!), he's a wildly approachable Brit and Star Wars/DC Comics geek.

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