Guest post by Britt Raybould

“It was an accident.” Britt Raybould

For a long time, that’s been my answer when people asked how I started my small business marketing firm. In a way, it was true, but it’s an answer that points to a bigger issue for entrepreneurs. We suck at being honest with ourselves.

We’re great at diagnosing a client’s problem or figuring out a weakness in a competitor. However, what I’ve seen (and experienced) implies that we aren’t as quick to acknowledge our own truths. For instance, I’d say my business was an accident because I’ve experienced an incredible amount of good fortune in the almost 7 years I’ve been at it.

It didn’t seem right to claim responsibility for my success when I knew that other smart, hard-working people hadn’t experienced something similar. By calling it an accident, it became less about what I’d done and more about events outside my control. The problem with this rationale is that it was crazy and not in the best interest of my business.

For instance, by laying my success at the feet of random fate, I abdicated responsibility for making smart business decisions. My success was random and my actions didn’t sway the results one way or the other. What nonsense. I now know that I need to give credit to both good fortune AND my hard work.

So this leads me to my question for you: what “true” story are you telling and how is it hurting your business? The most common stories tend to come under the heading “jack-of-all-trades.” I appreciate 100% that small business owners need to step up and wear more than one hat, but at some point it’s more detrimental than helpful. These two examples are probably the most common:

I can’t afford a bookkeeper/CPA. Really? Can you afford an IRS audit because you missed something by doing it yourself?

I can both run and market my business. I’m baffled by the number of business owners who don’t understand that being good at starting a business doesn’t automatically make you good at marketing that business.

I recognize that in the beginning we may need to bluff ourselves into believing that we can start, build, and run a successful business singlehandedly. Sometimes it’s that false courage that gets us off the starting line, but it’s an assumption that will only get us so far. We also need to learn how to be honest with ourselves.

Honesty better prepares us for the next challenge we’ll face because we’re dealing with fact, not fiction. Yes, the timing of when I started my business was accidental. However, it doesn’t cancel out the previous 10 years I spent gaining the knowledge I needed to make my business an ongoing success. My business isn’t an accident, and acknowledging that truth has given me the confidence to tackle whatever comes next.

What will honesty do for your business?