Far too many business owners try to do it all themselves.
They think they need to be (or act like they are) strong, confident, capable, organized, knowledgeable about everything, able to manage 1,000 things, and creative… all the while being successful in order to provide for those who count on them.
This is a huge misconception.
No one person is all those things without the strength of others.
And this kind of thinking can bring disastrous consequences, including excessive stress, feelings of overwhelm, financial hardships, and ultimately, even business failure.
No one person can lead by him or herself optimally. But, I’ll take it even a step further and say no one team of a few can lead by themselves effectively. In order to be truly effective and growing, we need outside influences. We need people who think differently than we do. We need people to bounce things off of. We need people to point out and call us on our blind spots.
Whether you own a 35 person gym or a 450 person gym, if you’re not seeking the counsel and opinion of advisors in your life on a consistent basis, you’re leaving a lot on the table.
As humans, we are created to be in community; and, as business leaders, we are designed to lead more effectively with trusted advisors speaking into our lives and businesses.
Your story is the culmination of hundreds, if not thousands, of people over the course of your lifetime influencing you, whether positively or negatively. Given that this is true, how much more true is it that you need people investing in you (and you in them) as you lead and grow your business?
On one hand, one of the significant benefits of being an entrepreneur is that you don’t have to answer to anyone.
But, on the other hand, one of the crippling drawbacks for many entrepreneurs is that they aren’t answering to anyone and have noone to keep them accountable.
Here are a few reasons a trusted advisor, business coach, or a mastermind group can be a game-changer for your business:
- You can’t see what you can’t see. As much as we might not like to admit it, our opinions and decisions are not always right. We make them based on what we know, and often we just can’t see a different and/or better way.
- We all have things to learn. The moment you think you have all the answers – no matter how successful you think you are – get prepared for a downfall. I’ve always believed that you should be very leery of those who think they are the smartest in the room.
- Shared weight makes the load lighter. A business is like a 500 lb. weight – really hard for one person to lift, but if that person has help, the load becomes much more bearable.
- Teaches you what you don’t know. You might be great at coaching, or finances, or marketing, or retention, or programming, but it’s highly unlikely that you are really good at all of those things.
- Sometimes you just aren’t sure you’re doing it right. It easy to get off course, or to think we’re headed off course. The counsel of others helps us realize when we need to just keep going and when we need to do a little course correcting.
- Feet held to the fire equals things getting done. Accountability is the number one thing entrepreneurs struggle with. There are so many people pulling at you and so many things that can be a distraction, it’s easy to lose sight of what should be the priority in growing your business.
I’ve watched far too many businesses come up way short of their potential – or even close their doors – because there is a leader (or leaders) at the helm who aren’t willing to invest in themselves or humble themselves to ask for and listen to the advice and opinions of others.
No one person has it all. We need each other. If you’re looking for true success, you will seek out and value the advice of others.
We can help with this through our M3 Mastermind groups. These are groups of 4-7 gym owners, facilitated by one of our business coaches, that meet weekly for business growth. If this article describes you, joining a M3 group might be just what the doctor ordered.
Here are a few comments from current M3 participants:
“The M3 Group has been one of the best things I have done in a long time!” – John
“What is most helpful is hearing a small number of people’s perspective that are in a similar situation. At different stages in the game. It’s eye opening and the accountability to really follow through. I have learned one thing from each meeting. It has definitely been worth it.” – Meddy
“I love the M3 group. It’s been super helpful for me to have someone to bounce ideas off of. It’s amazing to me how much we’ve grown since I started participating in the M3 group.” – Nicole