Know your limits: Sometimes it's better to hire someone

It probably wouldn’t occur to you to open up your skull and take out your own brain tumor. You wouldn’t want to risk messing up something that important. That’s a skilled job and one you’re not necessarily confident enough to tackle without some professional help.

Photo by brain_blogger

But what about something we encounter every day? Things like writing, proofreading, design and other things we see and maybe even do every day seem simpler because of their familiarity. When you’re running your own business, you’re so used to wearing every single hat that one of the hardest things can be stepping back and realizing that you may not actually be very good at x or y and that maybe you need to bring in some outside help to give your business that edge.

Possibly you already know a friend or family member with the skills you need. They may even be willing to help you out for free but, if not, they may be willing to do it in exchange for a barter, such as you selling a few items for them in exchange for their help. Working with family and friends can be a little prickly, however, so sometimes hiring a professional is a better option.

Help is cheaper than you might think and can be a worthwhile investment. You could toil for hours in Photoshop and make a halfway decent logo for your company or you could get a really slick one from a place like Fiverr for $5. Elance and oDesk are other great options where freelancers can bid on your project, letting you choose the price and vendor you want.

Sites like these are also a great resource for inexpensive freelance editors and writers. Writing in particular is one of those things where everyone’s got the basic skills but you don’t realize the difference a professional can make until you let them at your words. There’s a big difference between the writing anyone can do and really good copy and you’d be amazed how many e-commerce problems can be fixed with a little word wizardry.

The point here is: take a step back and be objective about what you can and can’t do. Maybe your skills are fine for a good enough job but if higher quality would mean more sales and traffic, isn’t it worth bringing someone else in? Don’t let pride blind you to getting help where you need it. There’s no shame in knowing your limitations.