Borrow as Much Experience as You Can

"Experience is everything". If you don't have it yet, borrow it.

I was late in understanding just how unbelievably helpful it was to speak to other people who have already done the thing you are trying to do, or are planning to try and do.

Of course, you won't agree with and adopt everything you're told, but it's a habit that helps you see things from more perspectives, helps you avoid mistakes, find solutions faster and honestly just makes life more fun. On the whole people are willing to help too.

I often think back on how I would approach my business if I started again, perhaps another blog in there somewhere, learning from and using other peoples experience is one of the main lessons I would take into any new business. It would have saved me so much time.

I wrongly thought that if I just put enough brain power and determination into things, I would find my own unique way. In truth, I often stumbled on solutions that someone with experience could have told me about much quicker. Wasting the time and energy I could have applied to areas I really had found something new.

It's great to find new ways to do things, innovation and creativity is one of the most interesting and important parts of being a business owner. However, there's no need to ignore the wider wisdom already available, instead learn from it so you can improve upon it, rather than innovating like crazy to produce a "unique solution" which is the same (or slightly worse), than you could have found from an experienced operator.

Be especially careful of free advice , often the catch is it's only loosely based on your situation and can't be replicated (could it just be a boast in disguise!?). Listen to all types of advice but make sure it's been considered properly before trying to apply it.

Find people with lived experience, nice people you can talk to openly without negativity. You don't need judgement or boasting, you need insight and support.

It's hard to find, good luck, when you do it makes a huge difference.

Thank you for reading. To read other blog posts click here: https://pivotaluk.co.uk/my-blog 

For a free consultation on business mentoring, please contact me at chansen@pivotaluk.co.uk

 I have been lucky enough to successfully buy, grow, mature, sell and exit my own business. I now use this experience to help other business owners on their journey.

Retained Advisor // Mentor or Coach // Strategy // Business Health Check