Trusted Advisors
Because we all need them and their advice!
How Good Advice Already Helped Me…
About a month ago I had a very important meeting. It was with a trusted advisor who sat me down and asked really good questions. About my company, business model, market, etc. They asked what the major risks were (and there were a couple) and then… the reason everyone says to get trusted advisors became clear… quickly!
They helped me assess the risk from a place of experience, respect, and wanting to help me. A great combination. They helped me see how a change to the overall vision would help me continue down the path I was on, but with good plans in place to help safeguard the company if the risks became reality. This in turn actually changed some of the core design elements, while keeping the immediate idea in place.
Wow!
Good advice turned into a good plan to share with others…
Others, who were also helping a lot, started asking lots of questions. Wanted to make sure I was protecting myself, and not being too narrow. Niche and narrow are two different things, by the way. They were not concerned about my ability to deliver a product, they were concerned that I may build something that put me in such a corner, I would never be able to get out fast enough to change direction if I needed to.
Because I had met with ‘trusted advisor’ mentioned above… I was ready to address these concerns with a well thought out and reality based answer. I was able to show that I not only go to advisors, but I actually hear and listen to them. I actually make changes based on sound advice. This instance proved that I had filtered correctly.
Why must we filter?
Well, because honestly, not all advice is good advice. This is why I only surrounded myself with a few (and by a few I mean 3-4) people that I really trusted early, early, on (in reality I’m still surrounded by a small group of people). I wanted constructive feedback that I knew I could trust.
I also wanted realistic feedback from people who I knew had my best interest in mind. Who would tell me no, who would point out the pitfalls who would tell me when I was dead wrong. They would tell me all of these things from a place of respect, a place of caring, and this type of feedback made all the difference. I knew it was real, it was well thought out, it was to help me get this thing off the ground.
They are still the people I go to first…
When something comes up that I need help figuring out. When I need to have a reality check about an idea, a meeting, even other people coming into my world. Right now, as I begin building and am out on my own… this is the time I need them most.
My trusted advisors mean everything to me right now and today, watching some things come together, I was reminded again of just how fortunate I am to have them there for me. Things they helped me work through got me to this moment. It is amazing and exciting and I am thankful!
If you don’t have a team of trusted advisors yet… go get them. You will be glad you did!
Great advice. When I started my own business back in 2006, a good friend of mine suggested that I find a group of trusted advisors to bounce ideas off of; however, thinking that I knew everything I decided not to pursue it. After a series of bad decisions due to just be naive, I have finally concluded that attempting to “go it alone” was a stupid and illogical decision.
Please listen to LoJo and build a team of trusted advisors.
Thanks for the comment, John… and for sharing your own experience with this!
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