You can’t go it alone.
Life is too complex, unpredictable, and simply too difficult to put on a Lone Ranger mask and try to gut it out.
Let me restate that … you can go it alone, but why would you?
Many try, but not many succeed.
And even those who do succeed, do so at the expense of what could have been achieved, had they surrounded themselves with strategic partners.
Call it a good upbringing, good instincts, or a will to survive and thrive, but I’ve always been keenly aware of my need to align myself with the wisdom and practical talents of others.
In my former life as a basketball player, this is almost too obvious. In order to practice and play the game, you literally need teammates, you need coaches, and at the highest levels … strength trainers, nutritionists, physical therapists, etc.
You literally can’t be a Lone Ranger and be a great basketball player … though some do try!
And I’d argue that it’s the same in the game of business. You can get to certain levels of success on your own in business, but it’s nearly impossible to scale beyond what you’re capable of without seasoned strategic partners.
You need to be surrounded by more experienced people than yourself, more specialized people than yourself, and sometimes even more ambitious people than yourself, in order to reach the pinnacle of success in any entrepreneurial or business venture.
But here are maybe the most important reasons why you need strategic partnerships …
- Why would you cheat yourself out of what’s ultimately possible?
- Why would you try to reinvent the wheel yourself?
Building strategic partnerships (in any realm, personal or professional) is almost the same as having a set of cheat codes for life!
When you’re very close to someone who’s been there and done that, you can lean on them to cut the time to your final goal in half, or more.
They’ve seen it all before … they’ve been down the dangerous roads, passed through the dark tunnels, and can show you the way so that you don’t need to experience it yourself.
There is an ancient practice in Christianity called discipleship. It’s the process by which an older, wiser Christian literally aids in making a disciple out of a younger, more inexperienced believer, through study, prayer, and the sharing of wisdom.
The best strategic partnerships can be somewhat like that, but it requires you to seek out partners that know what they’re doing, just as much as it requires real humility in yourself.
You don’t have all the answers, and that’s okay.
I encourage you to take off your Lone Ranger mask today and begin to make the time and effort to find the partners that can make your entrepreneurial road that much smoother and so much shorter.
Trust me, it’s a worthy (and profitable) pursuit.
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P.S. Have you subscribed to my podcast, Betting on Yourself? Every week, I talk to some of the most interesting people in the world about life, entrepreneurship, and making the best (and safest) bet in the world … on you! Click that link above and jump on my email list right now so you never miss an episode.