One of the online periodicals I subscribe to is entrepreneur.com. It’s on my “top three” most practical small business resources list, as it always provides me with straight forward yet useful ideas that I can refer to when I help my clients with their businesses.

A few mornings ago, I was quickly checking my emails before slipping out for my morning walk with my dog, one article on the entrepreneur.com of the day email caught my eyes. “The 4 People Every Business Owner Needs.”

I’m in the business of helping other small businesses, which also makes me a small business owner. I thought, “Wow, I wish I came across articles like this earlier. Running a business of my own is lonely!” Not to mention the anxiety, the challenges, and often times the confusion of it. I decided to read on, and here is a quick summary of the 4 people:

“The Cheerleader”

These are the people who believe in you and in your ideas as you struggle through the start-up period. As a small business owner, I know how it feels – when you’re not making the ends meet, you start to question your decision, and worse yet, your ability to run a business. It’s a blessing if you’re surrounded by at least one positive-thinking person who will support you and speak the word of encouragement.

“The Role Model”

The role model can be a mentor, but often times, it’s someone who’s providing support through the concept of “do as I do.” He or she can be a family member, who may be inspiring your sense of work ethics; or your friend, who is determined and has a love for learning. If you can find a few of these role models, it’s like forming your own Board of Directors.

“The Expert”

Experts can be friends who have the know-how’s, e.g. Pete the next door neighbour who happens to be a sales professional; Laura the high school friend who is also a seasoned marketing manager by day. When you have your eyes too focused on keeping your business afloat, your experts can provide the missing pieces and help you look at the big pictures.

“The Techie”

A techie can also be an expert in the above category, but basically the idea is that good technical support is hard to find. Hang on to one with your dear life when you find him or her. Your techie will save you a lot of time, money, and energy, and help with important tasks such as creating your website and launching email campaigns.

Consider yourself very lucky if you already have all 4 of these people in your corner. If not, it’s not too late to search hard in your inner circle, go out and network more, or even pay for a mentor, an expert, and a techie. It takes a little village to raise a business.