The Dream Chaser

Chapter 7The One-Man Show

I'm not against having a team. But I have heard so much about how we need a team to succeed. Well, what is success? If success is to be a Fortune 500 company, then yes, you may need a team to do that. But if success is to make $100,000, $200,000, $300,000, $400,000, or $500,000 a year, then no, you don't need a team to do that. If success means to live your dream, you don't need a team to do that. If success means to be your own boss, you don't need a team to do that. If success means to travel the world or become a celebrity at what you do, you don't need a team to do that. The question is: How do you define “team”? I define “team” as a group of people you hire to help you reach your goals. A team is a very tricky thing because there are different levels of help. First, you have the professionals who will only help if they're paid. Then you have the interns who will help for free, but because they're learning about the business, their help may not be very helpful. Then you have the friends and family members who will help you, but they may also feel like they own you or a part of you. Then you have the partner who believes in you and what you're doing and will help you from the ground up for a payday down the road. Any of those team members could become your worst nightmare or become your sweetest dream.

I've coached clients who had a partner in business who they just couldn't see eye-to-eye with. It drove them crazy. Each had a vision for their baby, ...