Starting a small business only looks easy. In the 26 years that we have been helping small business with their marketing and advertising, we have seen almost every kind of difficulty one can imagine. No matter how well prepared, no one is ever prepared for it all. Even with a business degree, most business owners still learn on the job. The biggest problem for any entrepreneur is that you do not know what you do not know. How do we know?  We are a small business too and have experienced many of these problems ourselves.

Many business problems are common across the board, even in a room full of entrepreneurs representing different industries. Throughout the month of March, we are going to be sharing some of the most common problems of commerce, using fictitious characters in a humorous way. All of the details in these stories are true. We have watched them unfold in businesses we have served. However the names have been changed, to protect the guilty. It is our hope that should you see yourself in some of these scenarios, that you will have time to change course and avoid a few storms.

Let’s take a look at this week’s characters:

Adam Baum is the classic bootstrapper. He has very little working capital and desires to stay out of debt. But he tries to do everything himself, and herein lies the problem. No entrepreneur can do everything well. Trying to do everything yourself is akin trying to cut your own hair. Technically you could cut your own hair, and save a bit of money. But should you? Since you cannot see the back of your own head, you may end up looking so tacky that your customers run the other way. And then you would lose money instead. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You may just blow up your own possibility of progress. Take an honest look at your own limitations. If you do not know how to lay out that brochure, hire a pro. Otherwise, you may scare everyone away. Some things are best left to the pros.

Alan Rench is Adam’s counsin. Alan is also a bootstrapper, and also a do-it-yourselfer, but for a very different reason. While he has enough money to hire help, he believes that no one could possibly do it as well as he can. Alan is the classic sole proprietor. He cannot bear imperfection. But in reality, he is secretly afraid. He fears that someone else may do a better job if given a chance.  Alan will eventually get to the point where he can do no more with his own two hands and cap his own income. Are you having trouble letting go? What are you afraid of? Small Business owners must develop their leadership skills. You are a leader whether you like it or not. Try setting up a system for a common task, and train someone to fill that task. Work with that person until they can meet your expectations. Setting up a work flow and training systems will free you to become even better at your craft than you are now. Growing other people and helping other people to become the best that they can be will also help you to become the best that you can be.

Stay tuned next week, for Characters of Capitalism- Part 2