As I continue to grow my Visibly Media and work with my amazing clients, I find they sometimes ask me to solve issues that aren’t in my wheelhouse. I’ve learned there may be a couple of reasons (at least) for this:
- I know social media and WordPress website design, so I “should” know all things tech-related, and/or
- they trust me to either know how to solve them or find out how best to solve them.
I am very honored my clients trust me so much as a partner — this speed of trust is a great asset and testimonial for any business or organization! However, I should “practice what I preach” during my coaching sessions and not violate my own boundaries.
Unless, of course, I want to and it makes good business sense to do so.
The Issue
My latest issue to solve for one of my clients was an email migration.
Now, I’m a marketer by trade, not an email specialist. I use email programs to help my clients get the word out about their businesses, but, in no way, shape, or form am I schooled enough on how these programs should function.
Then, WHY did I agree to help my client with this? A couple of reasons:
- My client trusts me. They knew I wouldn’t walk away or just hand it off. That being said, since it’s not my wheelhouse, that should have been enough for me to ask a trusted specialist, but, I don’t know any email specialists near where either my client or I live. I do know someone nearly 20 miles away that could have helped had he been able to travel to my client’s location, which he wasn’t.
- My client thinks tech is tech. My client knows I can work tech, so, to them, that translates to “I can make it work” or “I can solve this”. I don’t need to know this type of tech in order to solve a problem; I just have to know who to work with and what questions to ask.
The Solution
In asking questions to diagnose whether or not the client needed an email migration, I discovered the email program they were using was marked for “end of life”. I finally called GoDaddy, and their tech confirmed the EOL situation but not how to resolve it. That tech put me through to the Email Migration Team; their techs helped get the CNAME and DNS machines to respond properly to the new email program. This entire process took longer than 3 weeks from start to finish. I gained a new set of skills in a “trial by fire” baptism, and I gained a thorough appreciation for those special people who like to work in the backend of software, programming, and tech so everything functions the way it’s supposed to. It also reinforced to me my capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. As my business mentor has so often told me, “Work your strengths, and hire out your weaknesses.”
Indeed!
Lesson Learned?
I certainly hope so! Time will tell whether I’ve learned and will apply, or continue to jump the shark.
What I learned:
- Don’t do things you don’t want to do or don’t feel trained enough to do. There’s nothing in the world wrong with staying in your lane. Venture out when you feel you’re ready, and then only if it’s something you really want to learn more about.
- Hire out your weaknesses. Every business owner has an evil side to their business that has to be done but they don’t want to do. Why? They’re not that good at ________. Strong business owners know when to call the specialist and get help because they recognize they don’t want to do ________.
- Keep on learning. The more you learn about ________, the more you can understand it and figure out if it’s something you really want to do or not. Whether or not it’s your specialty/craft or your nemesis, understand it enough to make an informed decision about next steps. Then, when you’re ready to tackle ________, ask a trusted friend or mentor to help guide you to find the answers or specialist you need.
What have you recently learned? Email us or comment on this post on our social media – we’d love to learn from you now!
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