People to Have on Your Team by Meggin McIntosh, PhD

It takes a village to raise a child and it takes a village (a team) for entrepreneurs in today’s world to function in a peacefully productive way. Consider which of the following people you need to get lined up for your team.

1. Significant other. Do you have a significant other and if so, is he/she a part of your team?

2. Accountant.  You may only need this person for a few hours a year, but it’s worth knowing you have one on your team.  Better to get advice AHEAD of time in your entrepreneurial endeavors.

3. Legal advisor. If you had to call an attorney, do you have one on your team or would you be frantically hunting through the yellow pages?  Depending on the work you do, you may need more than one type of attorney (e.g., intellectual property, real estate, tax, etc.)

4. Coach. Hire a life coach. This person is always in your corner and will push and challenge you in ways that you can’t push and challenge yourself.

5. MasterMind group or accountability partners. Do you have one or two trusted people with whom you can think great thoughts, plan big dreams, explore fabulous ideas?

6. Friend(s). You don’t need thousands, but you need at least one real friend on your team.

7. Assistant or virtual assistant. For even a few hours each week or month, is there an assistant you can call on to come to your aid (either in person or “virtually”)?  I use several and they are KEY members of my team.

8. Someone you can call on quickly for work-related items. In a crunch, you have someone you can depend on for answers, help, listening, or whatever else you might need.

9. Someone you can call on quickly for family-related issues. Whatever family issues you are part of (parent, child, caregiver, pet owner, or all of these), do you have a person who can lend a hand, an ear, or a shoulder when you need it? In some cases you should pay for this assistance. Your helper will be more likely to say “yes” in the future if s/he was paid last time you needed help.

10. Computer guru. In today’s world, if your computer hardware or software isn’t working, you are in big, big trouble. You need to have someone (a professional) on your team. It’s worth what you pay to have someone who is ready, willing, and able to help in a crisis (be it a crisis or a CRISIS).

Just consider adding one of these that you currently don’t have, and see the difference it makes – in your productivity and peace of mind (which is essential if you are going to be productive).

Note:  And although not a “person,” I can easily recommend having a pet on your team.  Ever since I was a professor and saw someone who was normally “difficult” to be around be so different on the days that she brought her little dog – I’ve thought that many workplaces might be better places (with better people) if there were animals around.  (At my mother’s nursing home, there is a kitty who lives there who makes a difference to all.)  And if you have an office in your home, one of the best parts is that your pets can be there, too.  Just a thought 🙂

© Meggin McIntosh, PhD (who has two kitties and a 55-gallon aquarium) was a university professor for over 15 years and spent five of those years working with the faculty at the University of Nevada, Reno.  Since leaving the full-time academic life for the full-time entrepreneurial life, Meggin writes, consults, and does workshops for smart people who want to be more productive, thereby being able to consistently keep their emphasis on excellence.  Thus, the name of her company is Emphasis on Excellence, Inc.

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