There is no letter 'i' in the term entrepreneur

For far too long, when we ask people to describe an entrepreneur, I can put my bottom dollar that the image that comes to mind is of seasoned people such as Richard Branson, Oprah, Bill Gates, Patrice Motsepe and so the list goes on. How many of us really ever think that behind those faces are teams of people that actually make that image of that person occupy prime space in our minds. So I believe that it is important to move oneself as the entrepreneur and to recognise and rightly so the importance of the team that helps us achieve our dreams as the entrepreneur.

So when for example David Livingstone set out to explore the world, he was not alone and when he was in our parts of the world, you better believe that he needed to connect with the locals if he was to succeed on his travels. So while there may be a grand statue erected of him; it also serves as a reminder that in the world of entrepreneurship, people often think it is only one person who is involved in the business. The point is that, while you may be a one-person show, you still need to work with others if you want to achieve your goals. It may be at arms length; it may be intimately. You need to develop a way that works for you. How? You may involve your extended team of people working with you on achieving your goals in planning and shaping your business purpose. You may bounce ideas with them and obtain valuable insights while on the other hand, you can leverage off their network in some way.

What this implies for me is that it is no longer about grand statues of THE one person; it is about taking stock of the people supporting your business purpose and seeing how they can help you. The thing is that you actually have to compose what that picture must look like. Who would you like to appear in your 'team photo'? How often should you take that team photo? What are their positions in the team? So when I look at my business, my team photo currently has players that: provide strategic direction; lend an ear to hear about my dreams for the business and cheer me on or caution against elements of the dream; introduce me to their network of clients, which in terms provides me with new business opportunities; provide technical support in accounting,tax,IT, and compliance etc. These are the backbone of my business; invisible to others, but significantly visible to me.

So take out your camera, drawing board, paper and compose your own team to support your business. But do not be constrained to having a photograph that is static, with the advent of technology, it has become easier, almost expected to change photos as and when necessary!!