By Te’Jal Cartwright, Founder, What’s The Biz

Building the right team for your business can be a complete game changer for an entrepreneur.

A team can make things ten times easier for you. And you might be surprised at how much your business increases when you connect with people that have a similar vision and passion! Almost 20% of new businesses fail within the first year, and I can’t help but wonder what that number would look like if more people started with a team.

When I officially started producing episodes of What’s the Biz with TJ in 2019, I was a one-woman show. I remember grabbing my camera, going to people’s homes or store fronts, and inviting them to my Dad’s house just to do the interviews. Then I edited the videos as best as I could with my few video editing skills, and I tapped my beginner social media skills to market the shows.

I was exhausted by the fourth episode of the first season. Ultimately, I ended up releasing back-to-back episodes in November just to get it done.

I was slowly losing interest in my passion because it became so overwhelming, especially while I also worked a full-time job and raised a growing toddler.

Sound familiar?

FIND YOUR PEOPLE

One day, I expressed how tired I was to a friend, and he encouraged me to invest in a team. “You could hire someone to do the editing, and you could hire someone for social media marketing,” he said convincingly. I pondered his suggestion. How would I afford a team? Who would I ask? Where would I start?

I stopped pondering and just put myself out there. Ultimately, I met some super talented women that are still on the WTB team today — shoutout to Jena Perry and Samarah Poe! They changed WTB for the better.

So, based on my experience, here are my top four reasons to build a team:

Increase in quality of content/product

Support with troubleshooting and ideation

Decline in stress levels & increase in mental wellness

Increase in capacity, leading to more clients

Building a team can be difficult, but there are very few things that communication and understanding can’t solve. It’s important to move with empathy and always do your best to be a team player.

Part of our conversation during this final season is how collaboration and team-building can make things easier for Black business owners. What would it look like if more people worked together to accomplish a common goal?

Without a team, WTB4 would have gone in a totally different direction. I can’t imagine how I would’ve navigated our challenges on my own. I am so proud of this final season we’ve produced together, and I can’t for you all to see our all-star team in action in the Oct. 18 premiere!

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