As Oh, Hello approaches its three year anniversary and we start to head into a different business direction, Alex and I decided it was time to bring in a business consultant. After just a few days working with him it became so apparent that we should have brought someone in years ago.
The thing about small business is you’re just too close to it. Oh, Hello is my baby. I live and breathe it day in and day out and I’m obsessed with it. So I have a hard time being rational when it comes to it. I may hold on to projects that just don’t bring in money or ignore holes in efficiency. Although Alex has done some business consulting in the past, he too was just too close to Oh, Hello to be objective in accessing our company.
Our consultant looked at our finances, helped us see where we should be spending money and where we should cut back. He also shared some of his business experience from another field of work that we may not have considered to use in ours. It felt great to be able to talk to a fellow business person without worrying about competition or sharing trade secrets. To know that our concerns and fears are credible, but there are things we can do to combat them.
Now I’m not saying you have to go out and pay a bunch of money for a consultant. We reached out to a friend who maintains his own business rather than going the corporate consultant route. Anyone who has more experience than you in small business can help you. You just need someone who isn’t attached to your company to come in, take a look around, and give you honest feedback on how things are going and could be going better.
So no matter what size of your business, if you want to take it seriously and work out any problems you may be having, I highly recommend a business consultant of some kind. Whether you’re doing this small business thing alone or have a partner, it’s good to have an objective third-party take a look at what you’re doing to try and help. They aren’t trying to destroy your business or turn it into something it’s not. They’re trying to help you do what you do, but better.
Best wishes in your business endeavors no matter how big or small. And feel free to ask any questions about business and I’ll try my best to help answer them!
