Don’t Ask “Can I”; Instead, Ask “SHOULD I”

As I work to build my digital cashflow streams through affiliate marketing niche websites, I find myself trying to learn each aspect of how it all comes together. I am a big believer in self-education. I want to soak up everything I can and understand it all.  My mindset has previously been: how can I expect associates and employees to do something I have not done myself? As I reflect on that mindset writing this article, I realize how limiting that is for me as a business owner. 
 
In this example, I was trying to write some keyword content in the health space. We needed about a thousand words filled with good material all focused on a specific growth strategy we have targeted. I got about 500 words down, sent it to my team members for review and asked them to tell me what they think the article’s title should be that would best summarize the content.  Each of them came back with something different than what the article was supposed to be about. And each of them was exactly right. I had written 500 words of crap – not focused and simply grabbing at key words wherever I could possibly plug them in. 
 
I am grateful I only spent a few hours writing before getting that feedback and coming to this realization. I could have wasted time not only writing non-performing SEO content but then posting it and waiting for it to perform to a level that it was incapable of.
 
The question to ask yourself is NOT – “CAN I do it?”  As entrepreneurs – we can all figure out a way to get it done. Come hell or high water – an entrepreneur’s relentless stubbornness to accomplish a task they set out to do can be both a gift and a curse.
 
The question to ask yourself IS – “SHOULD I do it?” Should you be doing the task yourself or should you plug in a team member or contractor to do it? Based on my lack of SEO content creation skill, the answer is simple. It highlighted a gap in my ownership mentality that I am grateful to have received so early on.
 
My focus is, ultimately, on setting up the business and its team members to succeed.  That success depends on my ability to establish the strategic vision and execute with my team – measuring KPIs and steering as we go. My income stream and cashflow performance depend on it. For this content creation project, the solution is simple and cheap. I have a content group that can knock out the work for less than $100 allowing me to simply plug and play while I focus on other tasks such as analyzing current performance and outlining our next moves to make.
 
If you find yourself in a similar situation (doing something because you want to learn – not because it is best for the business), I’d suggest you reflect on your strategic goals and make the choice that best suits your business. You CAN do anything. Of all that you can do, there are a few things you SHOULD do.  BE STRATEGIC. Failure to do so may lead to significant amounts of wasted time and capital.  ​