It is Little League season. Which got me to thinking baseball is a sport that focuses a lot on individual actions: home runs, ERA, and errors are all statistics bestowed on individuals. Nevertheless, baseball IS a team sport. Rarely has there been a no hitter that didn’t rely on at least a couple of outs made in the field. It is rare and very difficult to make a triple play by yourself. In a batting rotation, every batter knows that the pitches they do or don’t get depend in part on who follows them in the line-up. And on a good team, when one batter or pitcher slumps, others step up to try to take up the slack.
Like baseball, running a business is a team sport. While you are judged on the actions that you and your business take, you often succeed, or fail, because of the team that supports you. Every successful business owner I have talked with credits their success, in part, to the mentorship, guidance and support they received as they built and grew their business. Every entrepreneur I know who has built a viable business, credits partners, advisors and friends for giving them the support and advice to help them move forward with a little more alacrity and confidence. Also, no one is an expert at everything. Smart businesspeople recognize that fact and surround themselves with experts who complement and expand their capabilities.
One of the reasons businesses join groups like the Greater Freeport Partnership is because they can be a valued member of the team. Like a good utility player, a business support organization such as the Partnership, can serve a variety of roles and help to address your immediate needs. Whether you are looking for industry data, an overview of the marketplace, connections with municipal or regulatory officials or even just a peer group to connect with, we try to provide those services or connections to other organization which provide those services.
Building out your team with the support of an organization like the Greater Freeport Partnership won’t guarantee that you’ll hit a home run with every swing of the bat, but they keep you on the field and help to give you a fighting chance!
