Asking Questions The Key to Stepping into the Entrepreneurial Role

As jobs shift from the corporate to the entrepreneurial sector, more and more people are taking on the role of consultant or specialized expert. New entrepreneurs suddenly find themselves responsible for creating the business plan, doing the marketing, getting financing, finding new employees and handling 1,000 other details that may never have been part of their corporate job descriptions.

After five years of running a growing temporary staffing firm, my business partner and I have discovered the key to finding the right answers is asking the right questions.

When we started our business we asked, and continue to ask, questions about everything. We found a business group called SCORE that held classes about writing business plans. They gave us a template and we had a place to start. We talked to people and researched information on-line for funding. We joined groups and attended networking events of fellow business owners just to ask questions about how to deal with problems that occur in business. Quite often we talk to talk to people who also have a service business, sometimes they are a complete stranger. We’ve found that unless we’re in direct competition people are very helpful with letting you know how they got something done.

Once you get some answers and can get started, you need to understand it is an on-going educational process. As the owner you need to keep yourself informed. This can be done through reading, finding a mentor and networking. The point is to get out of your day-to-day and see what is going on outside of your walls. You limit your business growth by limiting your knowledge. As what you know expands, your business expands.

I am sure over the years, you have asked yourself many questions. Where did you get your answers? The answers are out there, you just have to keep asking the questions.

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2010 Catherine Lang-Cline, Portfolio Creative, LLC.