Comments on: Be Courageous. Reach Out.

By: Frank Fullard

Frank Fullard — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 19:06:52 +0000

As someone involved in providing support to entrepreneurs I would say that a willingness to seek advice from advisors is an essential entrepreneurial trait. No entrepreneur has all the answers and most small businesses in particular do not have in-house all the expertise they need. In a world where change is everywhere and ever accelerating outside advice can be a critical factor in survival and growth.
But… beware of advice from friends and relations. Very often they will tell you what they think you want to hear, not what you need to hear!

By: Todd

Todd — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 17:09:48 +0000

Good advice Mike. Sometimes admitting just how much you don’t know can be a hard barrier to get over.

By: Mike McDerment

Mike McDerment — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 13:11:10 +0000

@David: I personally aim to get advice from subject matter experts whenever I go looking for advice for specific decisions – financial or otherwise. Beyond advice, another key advantage to good ad visors is they often come with many useful connections – so if they are not the best person to help you, they may know someone who is. I always ask for references like this. Further to that, I try not to be afraid to call someone out of the blue if it makes sense and I know they have knowledge I need…in most cases you can get a lot of answers without going into the details, so confidentiality does not have to be something holding you back.

By: David Farrell

David Farrell — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 12:32:46 +0000

I totally agree, BUT I think it is also important to take advice from financial advisers when considering things such as commercial mortgages or finance

By: Mike McDerment

Mike McDerment — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:43:41 +0000

Honesty is currency…and I’d bet you wind up with stronger bonds on the jobs you did get Rick.

By: Rick Baskett

Rick Baskett — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 17:38:37 +0000

I couldn’t agree more! Although I do believe my willingness to admit that I didn’t know might have cost me a job or two, I do think overall it’s a good thing since people can trust me to be completely honest with them.