Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

As a small business owner, did you build a team? Do you have other people working for you in some capacity? I find people in both camps -- yes they love it or no, they don`t want employees or to worry about the expense.

I`m doing some research for a project so your input would be greatly appreciated. If you have used teams to get more done, could you share which kind?

- Employees

- Contractors

- Virtual Assistants

- Volunteers

- Interns

I`d like to know if you have, what worked, and what doesn`t and why?

Thanks!

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Melanie Benson Strick
Million Dollar Lifestyle Business Coach
& Virtual Team Building Expert
http://www.successconnections.com

Discover "101 Ways to Triple Your Income by Outsourcing Your High Payoff Activities" at http://www.successconnections.com/101ways.

Sorry, all we have are the voices in our heads. :-) They work cheap, though, even if their advice is often contradictory.

Out of curiosity, how many people would you say constitute a small business, and how does that differ from a micro business?

Hi Craig,

I hope the voices are nice ones. =-)

I`m not an expert at the distinctions between a micro-business and a small business...there is actually a blog devoted to that -- "MicroBusiness Journal."

I typcially look at what kind of results does the person want from their business and what will it take to get there.

Many one-person-show businesses get stuck at a certain level of success because they just can`t accomplish anymore until they start leveraging their time. By adding 2 or 3 contractors, VAs or employees they can triple the companies output (with the right people of course.)

I`ve heard that a small business can actually be anything from 1 employee to 100 -- lots of different distinctions out there. I wonder if anyone else knows details on that?

-------------------------

Melanie Benson Strick
Million Dollar Lifestyle Business Coach
& Virtual Team Building Expert
http://www.successconnections.com

Discover "101 Ways to Triple Your Income by Outsourcing Your High Payoff Activities" at http://www.successconnections.com/101ways.

From what I`ve heard, based on the OSHA regs, a small business seems to cap out at 50 employees. A micro-business tends to be these 1-owner operations or a couple of people.

I think we`re pretty much in agreement as to numbers. But the reason I asked is that it`s been quite rare for me to encounter many entrepreneurs who are to the point of hiring anyone, virtual or not. On the other hand, when they DO start getting going, there`s an indeterminate, sort of "long" period where they`re trying to figure out how to "think like a business" rather than a small garage operation.

As such, it`s interesting to see on SuN how people such as yourself approach the entrepreneur. I think there`s a "mind gap" due to how many single-owner businesses begin with people who spent most of their working life as an employee. They don`t think like a "board of directors," or a CEO or head of operations.

I wonder how many people here in the community use words like "leverage" on a regular basis? You`re a coach, and so I`m sort of comparing my anecdotal experience with what`s likely your more substantial dealings with entrepreneurs.