Back in December I had the opportunity to attend a training course in Kingston, delivered by Ernesto Sirolli (www.sirolli.com), that quite literally changed my life.

Treat Hull, Enterprise Facilitator for Prince Edward County

What I learned that snowy week offered me a completely different perspective on business management, triggering a huge epiphany. It has dramatically affected the way I view my own business as well as the way I help people through my work in the EDO.

Having owned and operated several businesses now, I had always subscribed to the widely accepted notion that an entrepreneur must be good at all areas of business and that the more things you can do yourself, the better your business will be. The part I had overlooked or not recognized was that nobody can be good at everything or have the capacity to address all matters with adequate attention or skill.

The premise of Earnesto Sirolli’s approach to business is that he divides each one into three main sections, which he refers to as “The Trinity of Management”:

product (what your business makes or does)
marketing/sales (getting the word out there, and selling product)
financial management (both book keeping as well as financial planning/road mapping)

He insists that nobody can be equally proficient at all three, and that absolutely no entrepreneur should operate in isolation.

WOW! What freedom this notion offers the small business person who perhaps spends hours and hours trying to catalogue receipts or struggle with invoicing when that time could be far better spent doing the work he/or she is passionate about…maybe making brioche or selling wine. Or the artisan butter maker who is incurably shy and detests sales calls but needs to increase demand and production in order to break even and eventually turn a profit.

For me, my epiphany lay in accepting that I could excel in some areas of business and that delegating the other stuff would mean that I could focus more closely and effectively on what I am GOOD AT and ENJOY which, in turn, would make the business healthier and more profitable. However it has to happen- barter, trade, payment for service: it IS possible to set up a functional business model if our perspective sees it for what it is.

Tags: artisan butter maker, community members, Enterprise Facilitator, making brioche, no entrepreneur should operate in isolation, Resource Panel, selling wine, the County, The Trinity of Management, Treat Hull, we need to do what we love
Comments (5) | Posted over two years ago by Karin Desveaux-Potters