Realizing your strengths in business

Startup Spark:

One of my interns, after weeks of training, could not get the hang of writing press releases. As much as I reviewed it, as much as I taught - and as much as he tried, he really was not improving. And it was taking him hours just to write a release based on a template. It shouldn’t be so hard. too much to do?

But he is a good writer, especially on other marketing copy, so I couldn’t get my head around what was making this so difficult.

When we discussed it, it turned out, he hated journalism and press releases, but loved the other marketing-related stuff he was doing, including market research, writing sales copy and promotional materials.

Once we got that clarity, I realized (as did he) PR wasn’t for him - and that, upon graduation in a year, he should pursue advertising or marketing, which he loves.

What are you doing in your business that’s hanging you up? For me, it was bookkeeping, so I happily have outsourced it to a certified bookkeeper who specializes in small businesses. I also use not one, but two VAs to do my scheduling and handle some of the back-end work, like writing up contracts, etc.

Perhaps you can find the things you’re not that good at, and start outsourcing them too? In the long run, it will save you time - and money!

Sign off