THE POWER OF PERSPECTIVE

How Third-Party Expertise Helps You Win in Life and Work

Would you rather have $1MM or go back in time ten years knowing what you know now? 

For me, I'd go back in time. 

Sometimes I imagine what it would be like to go back in time knowing what I know now. There are so many things that I would avoid and so many opportunities I would invest my time and energy into. 

In this dream scenario, I'm retired by 25 and sharing a dock with Jeff Bezos. However, it's easier to imagine this world with the luxury of hindsight. In 2005, nobody knew what Amazon would be or how important the digital world would become over the next two decades. 

We only gain this perspective after the fact. Once the years slip by and the events of the world unfold. Our present vision is clouded by the realities of the day-to-day. So we must make decisions based on logic and hope things will work out for the best. 

As a business owner, it's easy to lack clarity in your vision from time to time. The work piles up, and you inevitably hit a roadblock: 

• The market changes 
• A key team member leaves 
• You're growing too fast and need to adjust 
• Insert your current obstacle here 

In situations like these, it's easy to feel stuck. You need to make crucial decisions to move your business forward, but you're so close to the situation that you can't look at it objectively. This is where gaining outside perspective becomes incredibly powerful. 

Working with someone outside your organization will help you distance yourself from your problems, gain clarity, and generate new ideas. Whether you're seeking clarity around your marketing, finances, sales, operations, or big vision, you have much to gain from getting a third-party opinion. 

Here are a few benefits I’ve found in working with an expert and how it can help you grow your business: 

1. Learn from other's mistakes 

When I first started in the world of entrepreneurship, I quickly learned that personal development was in my own hands. Unlike the corporate world, there was no training path or certification to earn - just try, fail, and try again. As a result, I learned to seek wisdom from people who had been there before. 

Attempting to mitigate failure as much as possible, I made a list of people I respected who had their own businesses and invited them to lunch or coffee. For each meeting, I had a list of prepared questions about their story and the obstacles they faced. As a result, I was given an absolute gold mine. 

They were incredibly generous with thoughtful advice such as: 

• Always focus on the problem you solve 
• The client is the answer 
• Invest more time with your children 
• Focus on getting a little better every day 

And my personal favorite was "Always make your decisions based on what will help you sleep the best at night." That one has stuck with me over the years. 

The wisdom of others has helped me navigate the pitfalls of entrepreneurship. While I’ve had my fair share of missteps, I’ve avoided a few big ones and have learned a lot along the way. 

2. Fresh eyes help to clarify the vision 

Bringing in outside perspective, whether paid or a friend offering a fresh set of eyes on a problem you've been working on alone. Sitting down with an expert and evaluating your business problem or goal can lead to incredible breakthroughs. These outside parties can see things you don’t and can improve your project with new insights. This helps bring some objectivity to whatever you're working on. 

I played defensive line in high school, and during a game, there was only one thing I was focused on, what my opponent was going to do. I didn't care about what my teammates were doing, just my role and what was happening right in front of me. I would give it my all on each play but was limited in understanding the entire picture of what else was happening on the field. 

That is until we watched game film the next day. During these sessions, I gained a new perspective on my position and where I fit into the bigger picture. Watching myself play on film helped me perform better in the next game. Additionally, the feedback I received from my coaches allowed me to correct my mistakes and clarify my responsibilities. 

The same is true for your business. Getting input from a trusted advisor will give a new perspective to the task and allow you to improve in real time. 

This sort of clarity leads to victory. 

3. Save time, energy, and money 

Lastly, outside perspective is valuable because it gives you access to expertise that can streamline your endeavors: 

• Finance: Hiring a fractional CFO can bring peace of mind to the most anxiety-inducing part of your business.

• Operations: Working with a seasoned business consultant can provide frameworks to make the complex parts of your business seem simple. 

• Leadership: Hiring an executive coach helps you get out of your head and organize your thoughts in a manner that leads to action. 

• Marketing: Working with a team of experts can relieve the anxiety of growing your business online. Partnering with a firm that has helped other companies grow is a great way to experience success yourself (if you need help with this, I know of a great company 😉). 

Experience leads to expertise. 

After my playing days, I coached football for five years. The perspective I gained on the game as a whole was astronomical! I would've killed to go back and play with the knowledge of the game I had gained, but life is cruel, and that was impossible. Instead, the best I could do with that knowledge was to help young players understand the game based on my own experience. Hopefully, they could learn from my mistakes and experience their own success. 

The same is true in business. After enough reps and time “playing the game,” you have a great perspective worth sharing. While we may be unable to go back and redo the lost deals, wrong decisions, or foolish investments, our experience can be valuable in helping others avoid similar mistakes. 

If you are in a position to offer this expertise, find a place where you can get involved in coaching young founders. 

If you are in need of expertise to help grow your business, start looking for people in your communities who have been there before. You can find these folks on LinkedIn, your Chamber of Commerce, or simply ask around your network. These people are out there! Reach out to them and start benefiting from their expertise. 

Lastly, whether this expertise is paid for or not, the peace of mind it brings is invaluable. When you work with experts, you feel confident and ready to tackle anything that comes your way. This confidence trickles down across your organization and impacts you, your employees, and your customers. 

P.S. If the area you feel stuck in has to do with marketing, schedule a call with one of our team members here. We can help you feel confident when it comes to growing your business online.