Building your team: Are you ready?

So team-building, huh? The first, and most important question you have to ask yourself is, “Are you ready?” To answer that question for myself took some serious soul searching. The main thing that really stumped me was allowing myself to think, "Yeah, I could lead a team. I have something to say out there and I could use some help saying it." When I got to the point where I fully allowed myself to be open to the possibility and believing that I could be a good leader, only then was I 100% ready to build my team. Now, I'm not going to kid myself, or you for that matter, by saying it was an easy step to take. I flew solo for a very long time, believing wholeheartedly that the only way to get things done and done right was to do it myself. I trusted only myself to get the job done right. But did I really? I could only realistically help a handful of clients at once and still maintain a life outside of work raising a family. There are only so many hours in the day (unless you’re Beyonce and then that rule clearly doesn’t apply). I was spreading myself too thin and standing in the way of my own growth and the growth of my business. This was always a state of quandary for me: How do I grow when it's only me? But how can I have anybody but me do this? I couldn't manifest growth on my own. I needed support and I needed other amazing people to come aboard with me to bring their own expertise to the table. I needed other smart, driven people, who could help me reach further into what I wanted to do and so that other people who needed my help knew that my services and that I existed. So I made a decision. I was going to expand. I was going to spread my wings and fly. Once I put together a team and trusted and let go, the sky became the limit! I had finally stepped out of my own way. “So how DO you put together a great team?” you ask??? Excellent question. Start looking around you at the people you admire and choose qualities that you feel could be synergistic with who you are and what you do. My first team member is someone who I simply turned to and asked, "How's work?" Luckily for me, things weren’t going so great, and now she is my right hand and the person who I trust wholeheartedly with my business and "me." She has allowed me the freedom and the support for true growth. Do you know how many people are out there who have left major careers so that they could parent their children? These people didn't just stop being unbelievably smart and savvy people just because they chose a different path. Ask them, they might be in a place in their lives where they want to do something outside of the home while they are still raising their family. These individuals just might be the best candidates for you. Look at the resources in your community and see if there are any colleges or universities nearby. Place an ad for exactly what you want and you might just find yourself with one or a handful of graduates or soon-to-be graduates who want to learn your business and will work for really reasonable pay. Lastly, I found the most incredible assistant I could possibly imagine on Craigslist. It wasn't easy weeding through, but boy did I find a gem! So if you're at the edge of the cliff and feel like you're scared to jump off, but know you should, take that leap towards building your team…because without it, you will never truly fly. Now spread those wings and good luck!