Yesterday I met a whole bunch of entrepreneurs — first in a couple of meetings, then at an incubator and finally at an event in the evening. After each and every conversation I asked how I can help.
They all stopped dead in their tracks and had to think about this question. Some recovered and asked for something, many drew a blank and didn’t ask for anything.
I was dumbfound.
As an entrepreneur there is always something you need or someone you want to meet. At any given time you should be able to rattle down this list. You should know your top 3 to 5 items by heart — without even thinking about it. And you should ask everyone and anyone for help with these items all the time — especially if someone offers to help.
And don’t use the “but I don’t know if that particular person can help me with that”-excuse. First of all: You don’t know until you ask. Secondly — even if the person might not be able to help you with a specific question (say: funding), they might know someone who can get you closer to the answer.
Always ask. Always.