Thanks to Irene – the hurricane – we had some flooding in our basement. And once we got things cleaned up, the sump pump died.
Now, I moved to Maryland from Arizona and homes in Arizona don’t have (typically) a basement let alone a sump pump. So this whole flooding basement/sump pump thing is way beyond me.
So what are my options?
I could spend days/weeks/months in order to learn about sump pumps and why basements flood and what I might do in order to waterproof my basement…or I could call in someone that can provide me with the information I need in order to make the best decision.
Since I prefer not to damage the house – and based on my skill sets and expertise, I am always concerned about destroying the house – I called a family friend that has been in the construction industry for a couple of decades. I told him what was going on and that my goal was a basement that didn’t turn into an indoor pool.
He came over and took a look at things. Then he started to share his knowledge with me and explain my options.
Based on that conversation, an action plan was put together. We put together a list of solution providers and questions we would ask each of them. Then I was responsible for calling and scheduling meetings.
After the questions had been asked and answered, and the written proposals collected, I sat down with my family friend and we discussed the information we had before us. A few calls were made in order to get additional information from a couple of the companies, but at the end of the day, we had identified an acceptable proposal and I decided to move forward.
My friend helped me understand what each company was recommending – the similarities and differences as well as the possible impact to me.
I learned a lot from my friend and knew that he had helped me save time, effort and energy while teaching me and helping me make a more informed decision.
The repair work went well – and my friend stopped by to spot check the work in order to make sure they were delivering what was promised. During the spot check, he pointed out several more important things to me so that I was learning as we moved forward.
That’s what a coach or mentor can do for you.
So you’re a business owner. You have your strengths and weaknesses. And if you’re like most of us, you tend to spend more time on those things you like versus those things you don’t.
But when a problem arises, you can’t ignore them and hope things fix themselves.
You could try to fix things yourself – but that takes you away from other important responsibilities. (And, if you’re like me, the end result isn’t that good of a fix.)
Or you could call someone you know and trust and ask them for guidance.
