Are you a One-Man Band?

Often, when talking with a small business owner, the conversation comes around to the struggle of being the one and only person conducting all of the business – I think of this as the ‘one-man band’ syndrome.

In the recording studio, the term ‘one-man band’ describes a performer who plays every instrument on a recorded song – one at a time and then mixes them together into a multi-track recording. Stevie Wonder, Prince, Lenny Kravitz and Paul McCartney all fit into this category and have made beautiful music as a one-man band.

A ‘one-man band’ in business means that you wear a lot of hats; finance and accounting, sales and marketing, research and development, customer service, operations, production, and much, much more.

Sometimes it is overwhelming… once you start the day, you never know how the day will finish out. I would love to say that I’ve got it all under control, but the last few weeks have been crazy.

Confession time:

  • Instead of getting a Module out in one week, it took 3 weeks.
  • My list of clients to service is long – really long.
  • I’m at least a couple of weeks behind on my accounting.
  • My exercise routine has been almost non-existent and my diet is not working.

Highlights of the last 3 weeks:

  • I made a decision to become a Realtor and ordered the real estate school package
  • Completed 5 brand new websites and updated 3 more
  • Started working with a couple of Realtors marketing high-end properties
  • Helping one of my clients write an eBook – Why am I so Tired?
  • Kept up with my project commitments to my clients.

Overall, I am pretty proud of what I did accomplish, and frustrated just a bit by the things that didn’t get done. And, I expect to be back on track shortly.

Let’s get back to the ‘one-man band’ concept. Just like a ‘one-man band’ you have a list of skills required to run your business, you might even have a list of skills that you need to acquire.

The ‘one-man band’ has a goal – to record a hit song using that list of musical instruments, and you have a goal of building a profitable business using those skills.

Over the long haul the ‘one-man band’ wants to have a bunch of hit songs and to live the life of a rockstar  – and over the long haul you should have your own lifestyle goal.

In the beginning, the ‘one-man band’ may do it all by themselves, but down the road they have help; a record producer, a manager, a marketing team, an accountant, etc.

And, if you have a long-term goal – you won’t always be a ‘one-man band’. I don’t plan on being a ‘one-man band’ forever.

Here are some tips to get your ‘one-man band’ business off the ground:

1. Start with a Business Plan

2. Surround yourself with the right people

3. You need a physical location & a website

4. Become a Marketing Expert

5. Build Your customer base.

6. Expect the unexpected

Never forget to keep your eye on your long-term goals.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, or would just like to connect at lynn.albro@gmail.com.

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