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Can You
Play the Drums? - Understanding Your Business Limitations
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by:
Erin Banister
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When I was a child, all I wanted from life
was to be able to play every instrument under the sun. Pretty lofty
goal, right?
I spent a couple decades learning numerous instruments, a couple I
mastered; with many of the instruments I considered myself an average
player, but that was ok – at least I could do it! Years went
by, I kept learning new instruments, and I was very proud of myself.
One day, I decided it was time to learn the drums. I started with the
snare drum, and I was fair at playing that. Next, the tri-toms, the
bass drum, symbols, and so on. Being the overachiever
that I am, I decided one day to get a drum set. I worked on it, day in
and out, striving to make some sense out of this
set of drums. I banged on them endlessly, struggling to find my beat –
to make them all work together while in my hands. My father,
being a kind soul, walked in on me playing my drum set and said, “You
know, you look like a maniac flailing around over there.”
Skip forward several years later. I still have that drum set (in my
shed), and I still play it occasionally. No set of lessons, books, or
study seems to teach my feet and hands to move as they should with the
drums. My beats end up half-witted, and I’ve resigned myself to the
fact that 1) I can’t do it all myself and 2) If I need a drummer, I
might as well hire a professional.
The moral of my story is, I know what I can and can’t achieve. The
drums are not my ‘cup of tea’, but I know of several individuals who
are very good at the drums. This is true in my business
as well; while I can keep my books and do my personal taxes, when I put
all of the accounting/bookkeeping together, I end up
flailing like a maniac once again.
Many business owners seem to be under the assumption that they can do
it all, that they can be the catch-all support that their business
needs. In my experience, this is only not true, but can also
make your business look very unprofessional. Your ability to say, “I’m
not a web designer” or “I’m not an accountant” or “I don’t know my head
from a hole in the ground in regards to [fill in the blank]” will set
your business apart from the crowd. I can
give you a great for instance: I know next to nothing about real
estate. I know it has something to do with houses, mortgages, listings,
and showings; but what good does that do me? However, I know
a friend of mine has ample experience in real estate, and this is her
niche market. Thus, every inquiry I get about real estate I send to my
friend.
We all forget at one time or another that we can’t do everything, and
take on projects we are blatantly not qualified for. It is imperative
that we not only find our niche market, but also figure out what we
cannot accomplish successfully, and pass it on to someone who does.
I cannot play the drums, but I am a master at the flute and trombone. I
cannot do bookkeeping/accounting, but am a whiz at marketing and
design. How about you?
About the author:
Erin Banister is the president of TrinityJacobs – Your Personal Virtual
Assistant. Erin’s expertise includes marketing and desktop publishing,
amongst other administrative specialties. For
more information, visit http://www.TrinityJacobs.com
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