One thing every entrepreneur has to learn─and some learn it the hard way─is you can’t do it all yourself. And even if you could, why would you want to?
Knowing your strengths and your areas for growth are essential for planning a successful business, and Indie Authors are no different. Even if you are going the traditional publishing route, you’ll still need an author website, a social media platform, and have to do all sorts of things that are related to the business side of writing. Sure, your goal may be to gain the skills do more tasks yourself over time, but if you set out planning to do everything yourself, it may be a long, slow climb.
The Learning Curve
With any new task, there is always a learning curve. For example, I am one of those in the minority who tried the writing software Scrivener, and hated it. After tutorials and multiple attempts, I was more confused than ever. Others swear by it, and learned it quickly. By contrast, I took to blogging right away, and have kept it up for over three years, finding an audience for my words. Some people tried blogging and gave up; others didn’t even bother.
We all have talents, natural inclinations, and tasks we take to right away. Then are the things you just want to tear your hair out over, even though you see others mastering it with ease.
The Build-Your-Own-Website Blues
One of those things for me was setting up an author website. In my prior businesses, I always had someone else contracted to handle website development, and I just gave my feedback. Now there are several sites where you can build your own website, such as Weebly, Wix, Wordpress and others. It’s less expensive than having someone else design it, according to my initial research. Browsing their sites, you’d think it was easy, right? “Just drag and drop”, they say…
Uh, no. it’s not that easy, for me anyway. I tried messing around with three different sites and felt like a monkey playing with Leggos. When something didn’t work the way I expected, I searched around for a way to figure it out. Help wasn’t helpful; and the online chat box people were polite, but in the end, even they were stumped. So then I had to check an online forum to comb through hundreds of conversations, hoping to find one other person who had the exact same problem as me, how they fixed it, and then try that.
This is customer service?!
Not all of us are as tech-savvy as the folks who work at these online software companies. So why do they all set up their software as if we all know what to do before we even start?
The Art of Delegation
Recently, Hubby and I were watching an old ‘eighties movie, Back To School, starring Rodney Dangerfield. In one scene, Rodney’s character, an old guy who went back to college, has a room full of people he hired to help him with his homework assignments. His son is yelling at him that it’s wrong, but Rodney just tells him that’s good business. It’s true, the art of delegation is one of the most important tools an entrepreneur can have. Find others to do the things you can’t do well, or cost effectively, and focus on the things you do best.
Can’t afford to hire others? You’ll get a lot more done in a shorter period of time, which can end up saving money in the long run, not to mention your sanity. But if cost is a problem, you can find alternatives, if you try. Barter, trade, do your research. Ask your friends, or on social media. You might find a deal in an unexpected place, like I did.
Ta-da!
So welcome to my brand new Author website. I love it, it was easy for me to set up, and did not cost me a fortune. After months of frustration and dead ends, a friend recommended PhotoBiz (also known as Zibster) and for a low monthly fee, they helped me to design and launch my site. The best part? They actually talk to you, on the phone! You have someone assigned to your account you can call anytime you get stuck. They’re friendly, thorough, based in North Carolina, and don’t make you feel bad for not being technically inclined. Check out their website or Facebook page.
I decided my time was better spent doing the things I know I can do well, and not spending hours upon hours trying to learn something new. Having the wisdom to know when you are spinning your wheels is important. And guess what? Through the process of setting up this website, I am learning how to do it myself. All I needed was the right kind of help.
Have you had one of those things you tried to master but gave up? Did you find a better way?
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