Who, not How

How do we make the website better?
How do we ensure a correct dashboard?
How are we going to write the next newsletter?

The questions aren't wrong, but they aren't necessarily right either. As an entrepreneur, you are used to being proactive. Getting things done. See progress.

The risk? Weak output.

You are not a web designer. Erica is an office manager, not a marketer. Karel is an intern, not a copywriter.
NOT: How can we do this? BUT: Who can do this?

From Startup to Scale-up
I regularly see problematic examples popping up in my network as well as in my own companies. It is precisely in the phase from startup to scale-up that how rather than who is common. Why? It is precisely in this strong growth phase that speed and quality are needed.

When you come out of start-up mode, you are very good at the how — and you can be proud of that, this mentality has ensured that you have managed to build a profitable business. But it's a pitfall to get stuck in this mode.

The scale-up phase needs so much diverse and new expertise, you probably don't have it in-house. If you still want to do it yourself, it will cost you unnecessary energy. If you ask the question who, you gain time and quality.

Freedom and Connection
Barring exceptions, you do not cut your own hair, do not repair your own pipes and do not lay decorative paving in your garden. Apart from mediocre results, you know that this takes significantly more time than outsourcing it.

Translate this thought into your business. And before you fear becoming dependent on outside expertise, let me share my experience.

Seeking a connection, or asking the who question, is something I quickly learned as a starting entrepreneur. I simply found out that I am not equally good at everything. In addition, I consider my freedom to be one of the most important facets of my entrepreneurship. As an entrepreneur, I have started outsourcing a lot and this has resulted in two things that are now invaluable to me:

- I have the freedom to focus on the things I like.

- I have built up a huge network of fellow entrepreneurs that I can rely on.

Once you get into a who, not how mindset, you will notice that. You will talk more freely about your company, projects and especially your struggles. Often you don't even have to ask if your interlocutor knows someone for a specific problem. This answer often follows automatically.

Do you not know the right people yourself? Go talk to someone in the right network.

#mindset #HowNotWho #scaleup #startup #entrepreneurship #experience

This post was originally posted on LinkedIn Let me know what you think about this topic in the comments [on LinkedIn].