Some people think that asking for help is a sign of weakness. We like to be perceived as all knowing and knowledgable. Not to mention self sustaining. Asking for help is viewed by some people as a sign of weakness. No one ever likes to be viewed as weak. Its like wearing a sheer dress without the proper undergarments. Its just frowned upon.
When I first got into business I was very optimistic and hopeful. I had a "if I build it they will come" mentality. I had no formal launch strategy, no promotion. I just assumed I would set up shop and my customers would miraculously find me. Key word being miracle. When they did not find me I was honestly shocked and a little hurt to be honest.
Did they "John Public" did not know my business was out there? Why did they not find my amazing product? What was wrong with the world? One thing I did was take a step back. Take my emotion and ego out of the conversation and look at my business honestly and strategically. Look at it will clear eyes an an unbiased view.
First thing I did was look at my traffic. The traffic for my commerce store where was it coming from? Frankly it wasn't coming, the traffic that is not at all. So I focused on my SEO/Keywords. First rule of business ask for help for areas in which are not your areas of expertise. Which I did.
Second look at my images. My photos were DIY and they looked it. Frankly they were not the best, I could do better. So I hired someone. A little google research and I found you can find amazing talent on a shoe string budget. Photographers who need to build their portfolio and many starting out will work with you to help achieve an amazing images to add to their portfolio of work for themselves. Check around and interview a few.
Third look at other entrepreneurs that you can work with. Collaborate and capitalize on their traffic to benefit you both. Look for companies that you can have a fair exchange and both benefit as a result. I looked around and found a bunch. I eventually was able to work with a handful. The collaboration worked for both of us financially. A true equal exchange.
Forth my website was also a DIY project. What can I say I love not spending a lot of money and getting great financial results. My problem was I wasn't getting great financial results. I needed technical help. I hired outside and this is where the budget on my end had to be flexible.
Last but very very important was focusing on who my Ideal customer was. Who was he/she. What problem was I solving and most importantly how was I conveying that thru my image and copy. Was I conveying that or was I keeping that a secret. Sometimes we feel that we are communicating but in reality we are not. I was holding onto my information and not communicating it properly. Doing this thru a website that was now easy to navigate and without glitches which would frustrate the user and turn them off. Copy that was reflective of my personality and conveyed exactly what I wanted to share.
So now even though I still jump off cliffs and find my wings on the way down, I am not afraid to ask for help. This is one of your key assets. Being willing to ask for help. Entrepreneurs love to help others, you will be surprised when you ask how eager/willing they are to help.