Top entrepreneurs know when to ask for help

Entrepreneurs are good at a lot of things. They have incredible ideas that can revolutionise industries and change the world. They know how to sell their dream and win customers. They understand how to grow their ventures and inspire other people to come along for the ride. Very few entrepreneurs are good at one thing, however. And that thing is process.

Over the years I have seen many talented entrepreneurs struggle to establish reliable, scalable processes within their organisations. For these individuals and their businesses, it’s often the one thing that holds them back, slows their growth, and generates operational risk.

The truth is that most people who run great businesses need operational help. Even companies that are pretty hot on process can always find ways to improve. It’s the number one thing that entrepreneurs tend to approach me about these days. There are sticking points within their businesses that they cannot seem to resolve. I like to do shop floor days with these business owners, some of whom are customers, to help identify operational wins. It’s amazing how powerful an outside perspective can be.

When it comes to operational excellence, you need two things: great advice and great tech. The advice is crucial: you need to know what to change and which processes to prioritise. That’s when technology comes into play. I built BigChange because I passionately believe in the power of technology to streamline processes and save countless man hours (and a lot of money too).

The software we created eliminates inefficient paper processes and allows these founders and their teams to focus on what they’re good at: serving their customers. Whether it’s automated invoicing, recurring contracts, or seamless synchronisation with accounting software, we’ve made life easier for almost 2,000 organisations worldwide.

I’m obsessive about process but I too have help with the fine-tuning. I’m so lucky to have both Diane Fenney, our head of commercial, and Tansy Sheehy, our customer service director, who both bring unique insights and experience to bear. Every single action within our business is rigorously analysed and stress-tested, from how our colleagues in sales approach new customers to how departments share learnings.

As a business owner, you should never be afraid to ask for help. Never shy away from seeking new perspectives. After all, we don’t know what we don’t know. It’s only by asking open-ended questions and constantly seeking feedback that we can learn new ways of working and find those improvements, however small, that will contribute to our future success. A recent study by entrepreneur support organisation Endeavour found that companies whose founders were mentored by a top-performing entrepreneur were three times more likely to go on to become top performers themselves. So, don’t delay, ask for help today.