I found this cartoon in the New Yorker a few weeks back and felt inclined to share it with the world.

What does this cartoon have to do with business and entrepreneurship? Everything.

So often, we stop short of living the life we’re capable of living (sounds cliché, I know)… We don’t believe in ourselves, think we’re incapable, or forget how powerful we are as humans and more specifically, as individuals. This especially rings true in times of crisis when everyone becomes panic stricken.

When there’s a will, there’s a way…You or your significant other may have just lost a job, but it doesn’t mean it’s the end of your career. On the contrary, your career is just beginning and it’s the perfect opportunity to do what YOU want to do this time around. Whether you’re looking at finding a new job, career, or starting a business you’ll soon realize that you’ll have to work harder than ever, but seize the opportunity and make sweet lemonade with bitter lemons.

Reach into your toolbox and tap into your inner wisdom… Sometimes the answer really is in front of your eyes or filed away in your mind. The guy in the cartoon is on an island waiting to be saved from adversity, while all this time, the power was within him. So many of us are finding ourselves in this situation these days and don’t realize that the power to succeed is ours.

Don’t wait until it’s too late to realize this… you might be missing huge opportunities.

• Needs to be more than: “I didn’t want to work for someone else anymore.”o If X can do it, so can I, may or may not be true

• Remember having a passion for something is not enough

• Be careful of: “So I can be at home with my children” or “So I will have more control of my time”.

• Be sure you are clear

• Don’t try to be too much

• Don’t group things that are different

• Too much and too different make you look as if you’re not good enough at something specific

• Can you translate your product or service into a benefit

• If this is not clear you will be wasting time, effort and money marketing and selling

• Everyone or anybody are not good answers

• Banks say this is the number one question loan seekers cannot answer

• It takes research to truly answer this

• Your product/service doesn’t make them spend money; their need or desire does

• It takes research to know what makes them spend money

• Not understanding this will cause you to waste a lot of time and money and possibly to fail

• They must have a reason

• Typical reasons are social consciousness or money

• If they do not care, use another marketing angle

• Research is necessary to know this

• Because research is necessary, you must do it or have it done to be successful

• Marketing and sales must be done whether you like it or not

• You must do it or pay someone to do it

• First, do you know how much you need?

• If you plan to start part-time or on a shoestring, be sure you can be successful

• If you go to a bank you must address the other questions in this list

• Remember that with investors of any kind you lose some control

• Passion and Good Ideas are not financed, potential profit is financed

• Do not expect to receive grants to start or run your business – they do not exist

• Just because prospects, banks, investors, employees, etc. should doesn’t mean they will

• Believing that people will because they should sets you up for failure or at the least disappointment and frustration

• Research is vital to know if prospects and banks/investors will do what you think they should

• Don’t start a business in a field that is already crowded unless you have something very unique

• Don’t start a business in a field where people are not succeeding unless you know why they are not succeeding and you know (not think) you can do better

• If you do not know your competition how will you compete?

• Be sure you have enough money, time and people to compete

• Research is necessary to understand the competition

• A good question is “Do I have the stomach for it”

• Another good question is “Do I have the stamina?”

• You must do the research, understand the situation and develop the plans so that you know what it will take to start and run a business

• The research will also help you put passion and expectations in perspective

• This is very important, but is specific to your business type and your situation

• The need for this understanding is why research is vital

• The need for planning is why you hear “Do you have a Business Plan?” all the time

• Can you hear these words and move on to the next loan officer or prospect?

• Can you use these words to help you decide if you need to modify, redirect or fold your tent?

• Can you take these words as opportunities and not obstacles?

• If a prospect has a process can you accept the fact that you must follow it, will you allocate the time to do so?

• Do you understand that the directions or hoops are part of the “test”?

• Do you recognize that the directions or hoops do not have to make sense to you?

• Remember that the customer is always right

Photo Credit: Katherine Choi, New York Times

Life gets busy and work gets busy. There comes a time when you can’t be everything to your business and be everywhere at once. That thing about wearing multiple hats as a business owner sometimes does not work. Doing everything for your small business can create stress and lead to havoc in both your business and personal life. At some point, you come to the realization that too much time is being wasted by the many hats you are wearing. This is when outsourcing or hiring out for certain tasks becomes necessary.

Let me just start out by saying that I strongly dislike asking for help when it comes to business matters and I most certainly hate the idea of paying people to do work that I could possibly do. I’d rather take the time necessary and teach myself how to do it either by researching online or reading a how-to book. I sometimes consider my inability to ask for help a bad habit.

Not asking for help and sticking to a budget (that is a good thing!) is how I got into web design. When I was working on my first business, the quotes I received were too high so I decided to teach myself how to design my own web page. Mission: Successful. As it turns out, I happen to really enjoy the web designer world and a new career was born. However, the countless hours I spent could have been put to better use marketing for my business or doing numerous other tasks. But what was I supposed to do on such a limited budget?

Just because I picked up web and graphic design does not mean I’m a computer programmer or feel like getting intimate with my computer on a “mother board” level. I recently ordered new software and realized I needed more memory (RAM) for my computer. Off to the Apple store I went, only to find out they do not actually sell extra memory. This is something you have to either order online and install yourself or go to an independent Mac specialty store.

I went back home and visited Crucial, a website dedicated to selling computer memory. After running the test on my computer, the system listed possible memory sizes I could install in my computer. For $81, I could have the memory shipped right to my door. Realizing that I had to actually open my computer and plug a chip into the board, an overwhelming fear of screwing up my computer overtook both my mind and body.

Messing up my computer is just not an option at this point. I have too much at stake and buying a new machine is not a possibility at this moment in time. This fear combined with a time crunch caused me to cave and hire specialists to install my RAM. The specialty store charged me $99 for the memory plus a $35 service charge. This added up, but it was money well spent because they had everything installed and tested in less than two hours. Best of all, I can rest assured knowing that the installation was properly completed.

Sometimes you have to get over yourself and ask for help in the areas of your life and business where you can’t or don’t want to do it all. Think about the cost of you doing and figuring out how to do the task versus hiring out for the job. When assessing whether or not to outsource a job, keep in mind the value of your time, the skills you possess, costs associated, your budget, and your stress level.

Don’t be afraid to take off a hat and outsource, this is what will continue to make you a successful woman entrepreneur.