Do you need professional help?

The other day, I noticed that my brakes seemed a little soft. I automatically picked up the telephone and called my mechanic to make an appointment. It seemed like the right--and natural--thing to do. It didn't even occur to me to try to repair it myself. Among the list of things I am good at, repairing automobiles is not one of them. And I know it.

Similarly, if I have a leaking pipe, need an operation or want to design my dream home, I call in the experts. I could probably do some of those things if I had the time and inclination, but the results would be well below par, if not catastrophic.

Entrepreneurs, by their very nature, are go-getters. They tackle the business and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Whether it's accounting, retail displays, marketing--I could tell you stories!--or sweeping the floor, they take it on whether they like doing it or not because it needs to be done.

The questions is: why?

They may well be great managers, excellent administrators, superior planners or even exceptional idea generators. But once they step outside their areas of expertise, anything could happen.

And often does.

Let's go back to the brakes metaphor. I could probably install most of the parts myself and the car would likely stop most of the time. Is that good enough?

Let's look at the upside of bringing in professionals:

• a certified accountant will keep your books in order and you may even pay less tax;
• a computer consultant will keep your equipment running smoothly and prevent you from losing time and dropping sales--especially if you sell online;
• an experienced marketer will help you move more products and services; and
• a retail display professional will help you attract more buyers into the store and toward your shelves and racks.

Speaking to future business leaders at MIT's Sloan School of Business, Jack Welch, former CEO of GE, said that as a leader, "your job will be dealing with people, evaluating them, building great teams, exciting them, giving them vision and showing them how to take the helm. Your job won't be being the smartest person in town. It will be about rallying smart people to do the job."