Yummie Mummie

Have you noticed how running a business by yourself just isn't possible?

I know most Mumpreneurs^TM are solo business owners but the saying about no (wo)man being an island is just as true in business as it is anywhere else.

While having a bookkeeper, a Personal Assistant, a nanny and a marketing guru on your team would all be fantastic, you can run without them for a while. But having someone else to bounce ideas off, ask questions or just have the occasional whinge at is absolutely imperative for your sanity.

So what about when the shoe is on the other foot and you are the one being asked for help? How much help are you happy to give and where do you draw the line? Do you think you've even got anything to say that might help someone else in business?

Let's take the last question first:

Yes.  Everyone has something they can help someone else with. Whether it's your experience about what not to do, a wholesale supplier you might know the name of up tohow towrite a fantastic press release.

But how much help are you happy to give?

There are some people who guard every piece of knowledge they have accumulated like a.  It's usually the fear of competition that drives this behaviour.  And the thought of a new competitor can be scary.

But what if you re-frame competition to co-opetition. What if you saw that every new competitor drives you to improve your business and reach new heights. And that same new business is increasing the reach of your industry to others that may never haveknown the need for you otherwise.

Would that ease that fear a little bit? Would that allow you to give of your experience and learning's a little more freely? Because as you've probably heard 'as you give so shall you receive'.

In helping someone else out you can learn a lot. They may ask you questions you'd never even considered before - therefore opening a whole new area to you. You may find opportunities to join together in some areas and increase your current offers.  You will definitely find that you feel good about giving someone else a hand.

But where do you draw the line?

Only you can really answer that question. While some people are stingy with there information sharing, there are just as many who are too generous. Setting boundaries ahead of time can really help with this. If you are being asked for help on something that you normally charge for (eg you're a book keeper and someone is asking for help setting up MYOB) then having a policy already in place will help you deal with this request.

It may be that you offer a free consultation, or you help for 10 minutes then charge after that, or that you have a free report and if that doesn't cover it they hire you. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination and your level of comfort.

Leap 'n' Bound:  Have you found yourself being asked for help and not knowing what to do?Take some time now to write down different scenarios and how you would like to deal with them should they arise in the future.

Taking this all one step further - why not go out of your way every now and then to offer help to someone who hasn't even asked. What a buzz that would be!

• 2 September 08
• On the 23rd September, find out how to get the energy you need to be a Mum on our next conference call