I was having a conversation with one of our clients who we’ve coached for a number of years. He’s been in business for about 13 years and he made a comment that he wished he’d asked for help sooner. 

I asked him what he thought prevented him from asking for help sooner, and his comment was, “you know what, Matt, I was embarrassed. I was embarrassed to ask for help. I felt like as a business owner, particularly because I’ve been in business for so long, that I should have known these things” 

I see so many business owners who know they need help but are embarrassed or allow their pride to get in the way. 

I feel very fortunate because I was introduced to my first business coach, two weeks before starting my first business and I’ve had a business coach or mentor ever since, and I’ve been in business for over 15 years now. And, the beauty there was I learned from their mistakes, their knowledge, and fast-tracked my success, and I allowed my pride and my ego to be put below. 

You could delay asking for help and sit there and struggle or you could reach out to those in your community or network and ask for help. Richard Branson was embarrassed for many years that he didn’t understand the difference between Gross profit and Net profit. In fact, as the story goes, he didn’t really understand that distinction until he was in his 50s. However, he’d surrounded himself with amazing people who understood that for him, so there wasn’t a gap. Whilst it may have been a little embarrassing for him, he put the right people in the right seats to ensure that those questions that needed to be asked and needed to be answered, were taken care of. 

So the question is, what are you embarrassed about asking right now? 

Do you understand your financials as well as you should, or at all? 

Do you understand your marketing numbers and how that’s working? 

Do you understand the difference between an impression and a click and a conversion? Bounce rate? Traffic, unique visitors? 

Do you understand all of that and how to interpret that data to make strong decisions? 

If you don’t, you need to ask for help. Because the longer you wait, the more it will cost you. We need to let go of our pride, let go of our ego, and embrace what we’re trying to achieve. Which is growth, profit, and cash flow in your business. That’s how you win the game. And those that win the game, let go of their pride and ego and ask for help when they need it. 

Take some time today and ask, where am I holding back and not asking for help because I’m a little embarrassed or feel I should know that, or I’m letting my pride or ego get in the way?