Professional advice is good for business.

More specifically… admitting that you don’t know everything when it comes to your business, and asking for help, either through:

• Asking questions via an on/offline Group
• Or… hiring someone to help you work through a problem with your business

And for some, that will sound like common sense, but among business owners specifically, there’s a common misconception that needing outside help with your business is a sign of failure.

More specifically…I find that this exists among small independents, who do things on their own.

And if this is something you’re facing, you should do something about it.

But why is that the case?

According to Ingrid Vanderveldt, the founder of Empowering a Billion Women by 2020:

“The antidote to a lack of confidence is simply action. We take action when we have mentors.”

And I know what you’re likely thinking:

But…I’m a confident person! Why do I need professional advice?

The truth is, I was like you at one point…

My father is British, therefore everything about British culture has seeped into the person I am today.

So, the “keep calm, and carry on” approach to life has always been inside me.

That’s awesome for weathering all the ups and downs entrepreneurship sends my way.

But it’s not so awesome for my tendency to sometimes be too proud to accept help unless the people helping me are part of my small, inner circle of friends, family, etc.

And all it took was a period where I had my first experience being the caregiver for a loved one.

They had a major surgery that took longer from a recovery point of view than we both expected.

So…for an entire summer, I spent more time in hospitals than I did inside my home.

To keep the everyday activities of life running smoothly, I had to accept help.

And that’s when I realized I had to overcome my pride…

It’s pretty hard out there, even for the most experienced business owners.

In fact, on the DOPEamine podcast, I discussed this subject in deeper detail.

If you have not yet listened to that episode, I talked a lot about how hard it is to face rejection on your own.

And then I brought up some coping methods.

The Cole’s Notes version is basically this: other people are the most important remedy.

However, fear of judgement might still be stopping you from:

• Publically asking for professional advice
• Admitting you have asked for advice at some point.

And that’s okay! So, let’s talk about those fears in deeper detail.

1) It will make you seem like “less of an expert”…

I hired Violeta Nedkova, my very first business coach recently. And honestly, it’s something that I wish I did a long time ago.

Because one of the things that made me instantly feel like it was a worthwhile investment is that she encourages me to embrace my writerly nature, and use it to my advantage.

She’s a huge believer in the idea of embracing your values and strengths so that your greatest strengths are uniquely yours, which leads to a stronger brand and a more marketable product.

Why accepting professional advice doesn’t make you any less of an expert…

Until Violeta and I started worked together, I was blind to the fact that I’d gotten so used to people telling me writing isn’t “a real job,” that I didn’t embrace that aspect of my personality enough…

Except in my services…of course, because I justified it to as a means to an end.

And this applies no what matter you do/ are passionate about doing in the future.

I find that this is the type of deep thinking no one can really do unless they’re open to listening to other people’s’ thoughts and opinions.

In fact, this reminds me of Facebook post that captured my attention recently.

Because I think that it perfectly summarizes why there’s a huge difference between being good at what you do, and accepting that there are aspects of yourself you still need to work on:

The reason this quote really resonated with me is simple:

I made the mistake when I started my business of thinking I need to please people, all people I work with or express interest in working with me.

And this lead to far too many “clients from hell” experiences I could have so easily avoided.

When I look back, that’s the one thing I regret, which is why I’ve embraced the fact that not everyone is the right fit, and that’s okay.

This doesn’t make me less of an expert at what I do…no not at all!

Because helping other people with their business is one thing, but it’s easy to miss things when it’s your voice, your product, and your values.

2) You “won’t have time” to accept help

Taking a break is important, but when you really need to get something done, it’s really about sacrificing the time you spend on activities that aren’t necessarily mandatory like:

• Signing into your social media account. I make this assumption because of a recent Pew Research Center study, which concluded that a high percentage of Facebook users check their feed several times per day.
• Watching Netflix, where users watch over 1 billion hours of content on average per week.
• Phone calls (which can always be rescheduled or shifted to a different time)

If any of these habits sound familiar, you don’t have an excuse, because if you feel that way you need to soul-search, like…really, deeply soul-search about what’s making you say “I don’t have time”.

Chances are you don’t lack time, you’re simply not willing to squeeze that activity into your life at this point in time.

3) The person will be a terrible fit for your values

Before you accept help, I highly recommend doing some really thorough research on the person you’re considering getting professional advice from/ collaborating with.

Remember how I brought up my coach and the high-quality of the professional advice she has provided thus far? 

I read several of her blog posts + followed her online for a few years before I got out my credit card/ paid for a month of coaching.

Your decision-making process doesn’t need to take years like mine did.

However, doing your research, and finding out everything you can about the person you’re interested in hiring will protect you from:

• Wasted time and money
• And a great deal of heartache/ frustration.

Pay attention to the person you’re thinking of hiring’s marketing content.

It is also highly recommended that learn more about the people who are recommending them.

What people say about:

• Themselves
• Their personal interests
• Their industry

Can reveal a lot about how good of a fit they are.

The same rule applies to those that recommend them as well.

The reviews will help you find out the benefits of the candidate’s professional advice/ services.

And you need to find out why/ what’s informing their opinion.

You’re much more likely to have a bad experience if you don’t make a hasty decision.

So…what makes someone a good fit?

Check out my Search Engine Journal article on this subject.

However, step one of accepting outside help is overcoming mindset issues, which isn’t easy to do.

And…if that’s something you’re experiencing while getting to know my work, why not check out my about page to clear up any doubts you might have?