Online Business Adviser

The Forum For Online Business Success

I think it’s true for everyone that no matter where you have worked, you will come across people within an organisation who are just really, really good at what they do. Certainly for me, having worked across a number of different media companies, I have found people in all sorts of departments (not just mine) who know their stuff inside out and astonish me with their knowledge.

I consider these people as my Fantasy Business Team – the people that if I had was to go into business for myself and had the scale, I would want to recruit and have work with me, because they each bring something special to the table. It’s the kind of team that you think you could accomplish anything with.

Let’s face it though, not all of us have the ability to recruit a whole lot of people just yet, particularly when just starting out. That said, there is nothing stopping you from building this team, and harnessing the collective wisdom of it to help you along. It’s simply not possible to know everything, but anyone of value to a business brings something that others don’t necessarily have, and if you are including people in your network, chances are someone else is including you in theirs, so it’s OK to reach out and ask for help.

In building your fantasy team, you don’t need to confine it to your current organisation – I continue to keep in touch with people I worked with nearly 10 years ago, because even then they represented a trusted, knowledgable source. That said, there are some things you must keep in mind:

• Be Genuine – Don’t seek these people out covertly and leech off their ideas. Be upfront with them about what you are trying to achieve and help them to understand the role they are playing in helping you become successful. Buy them lunch and tell them you want to pick their brain about whatever it is they do, don’t just “drop it in” to the conversation between talking about the weather
• Be Interested – In keeping with the first point, don’t make this about a specific project – they should be wide ranging conversations where a lot of questions are asked, and if they are asked of you, thoughtfully answered (remember, you may be on their team)
• Be Respectful – With the world becoming ever more connected and the movement of people within their industry, many businesses have very clear policies on dicussion of things with people outside of their company. Respect these boundaries and never ask a question that might jeopardise their role. If they don’t feel comfortable talking about something, drop it and move on.
• Be Thankful – Give them credit and thanks, and don’t lose touch. People appreciate it.

The web also brings an interesting dimension to Fantasy Business Team. The confines of the old workplace are gone. New communication tools have made it easier than ever for us to keep in touch, collaborate and share information, even with people we don’t know personally. I’ve already published a list of people on Twitter who I derive value from. You will have your own, and you should never be afraid to engage them to pick their brain. They may not respond, but if they do, the results can often surpise you.

With all of that said – who is on your Fantasy Business Team? Have you got a starting lineup that is going to help you with your online business?

Tags: advice, assistance, business acumen, business success, collective wisdom, fantasy team, inspiration, knowledge, mentoring, Social Media, Twitter

This entry was posted on Monday, November 16th, 2009 at 10:29 pm and is filed under Best Practice, Marketing, Online Business Niche, Social Media, Social Networking, Twitter, innovation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.