It might be strange to hear, but starting a business can actually be surprisingly lonely because even when you’re excited and motivated, there are so many decisions to make, and not all of them are obvious. That’s why one of the biggest early challenges to deal with is knowing who to rely on—you can’t do everything yourself, and trying to usually slows things down rather than speeding them up. With that in mind, keep reading to find out more.

People Who’ve Done It Before

Experience really matters in business, and people who’ve already been through the early stages of running a business understand the pressure points you haven’t got to yet. So finding someone like a mentor, a former manager, or another business owner a few steps ahead of you can be really useful. 

And of course, these people don’t have to have all the answers (and they probably won’t) because a lot of the time their value is in helping you avoid obvious mistakes or reminding you that certain challenges that feel huge are actually normal and mostly temporary.

Specialists, Not General Advice

You’ve probably already realized that there’s no shortage or general business advice online, but the truth is that at some point, you’re going to need people around you who understand your specific world, or the parts of it that you’re having trouble with. That’s why people like accountants, legal advisors, and industry specialists can be exactly who you need to rely on to turn your ideas, which could be rather vague ones, into real plans you can actually work with. 

If your business involves manufacturing, materials, or supply chains, relying on applicable partners early can save a lot of problems later on, and working with experienced suppliers like plastic compounders, for example, means you’ve got access to technical knowledge you won’t realistically get otherwise, especially when you’re so busy with all the other aspects of starting, running, and growing a business. 

People Who Are Honest With You

Something that’s really important to remember is that support doesn’t always mean encouragement—what it should actually mean is honesty. In other words, you need at least one or two people who will question your assumptions, point out gaps, and ask uncomfortable questions before customers do. 

These are usually the people who help you refine your idea into something more tangible—and more successful. And yes, hearing what they’ve got to say might sting sometimes, but it’s usually worth it. 

Your Own Judgement, Over Time

At the start, it’s very normal to rely quite heavily on other people, but the fact is that over time, you’re going to build a lot more confidence in your own judgement, and you’ll start getting a better idea of which advice applies to you and what doesn’t.

That’s a massively important part of growth for you and your business. Don’t worry, though—the goal isn’t to get to a stage where you don’t need to rely on other people at all (that just leads to stress and the same problems you found yourself dealing with right at the start), it’s to know who to rely on when and when you don’t have to.