Let's get real. What are you bad at?
What do you suck at?
I know this doesn't seem like such a fun thing to consider right now. After all, it's the end of another weekend and for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere (like me) we're heading into the dark, cold, wet season of winter. Still, knowing what you could be better at is key to growing your business.
Yesterday I had the pleasure of joining another 10 small business owners for a workshop on iPhone photography, taught by the brilliant Kate Berry (founder of Lunch Lady, OK Motels, Switchboard Cafe and a freelance photographer). Now, for transparency, Kate has been a client of mine in the past but I chose her course due to the fact I genuinely like what she creates visually and knew I'd learn something.
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And yes, I'm well aware I NEED to learn. Taking photos has never been a skill of mine. I am married to someone who studied Fine Arts at one of the best Universities in the country and who has a natural design eye. We can both take a photo of the same thing and his just looks a LOT better. So, for years, I've told myself it's because I don't have that "eye" but I've learned a lot of it comes down to technical skill as well. So, off I went bright and early yesterday morning to up-skill.
If you've ever attended a workshop or worked with me as a client, you know I'm all about elevation through education. When you're employed, particularly in more senior roles, there's often a budget for training whether it's a three-day course on leadership or a three-hour course on MS Excel, you have someone else paying for you to up-skill. When you start your own business, investing in new skills is something that can take a back seat. It's too expensive or will take up precious time, you tell yourself while wasting hours Googling or watching YouTube or FB Group videos in the hope to DIY your learning. And, while that DIY approach can work for some things, for others it's worthwhile investing in an expert who can show you, in minutes, something that may take days of Googling to figure out.
So, how do you know what skills you actually lack ? While some will be easy - i.e. photography - others may be things you aren't even aware of. One of the exercises I've used for decades, first with people I managed and then with my own clients, is the idea of a skills, experience and interest matrix (you can download yours here - #YoureWelcome). If someone I managed wanted to change roles or a friend wanted to change career, I'd often send them this same exercise.
How does it work?
The matrix is divided into four key columns: Business Element, Skills, Experience and Interest. You simply fill in column A (Business Element) with all the things that are required for you to run your business (or, if you're changing roles, all of the duties that would generally sit underneath the role you're going for). Next, you simply add a Y for those you have skills, experience and interest in, or a N for those you don't.
How does this help small biz owners?
The majority of small business owners start as a solo operator, i.e. no staff. At some point they want to scale and so start looking around for someone else to assist. What's lacking at this point is for the owner to really consider the skills gap in their business and who would be the best hire to close it. Alternatively, the small biz owner is aware they're lacking skills to up-level, but is not yet able to afford to bring on staff (enter the elevation by education factor). In either scenario, the matrix helps to discover what skills are missing.
Why does the matrix include Experience and Interest? isn't Experience the same as Skills?
Experience is not the same as skills . Someone may have experience in SEO strategy and in overseeing teams to execute this, but they may not be the one on the tools, day in, day out, knowing EXACTLY which feature to tweak for better ROI. Likewise, they may have years of experience in social media marketing but no great interest in that and therefore may be better off outsourcing some of this to someone who's incredibly passionate about it.
Regardless of how long you have been in business, it's worthwhile doing this exercise once a quarter or even twice a year. Assess what you could improve on and then consider if you wish to invest in up-skilling or outsourcing that element. Nothing changes if nothing changes. Investing in yourself can be one of the best things you can do to future-proof your biz.