Know Your Strengths, Admit Your Weaknesses

One of the best lessons I learned as a business owner was the importance of knowing my strengths and weaknesses right away.

I didn’t even realize at first that one of my biggest strengths was hiring. It wasn’t until I started talking to other business owners in my industry and listening to their horror stories of staff who no-showed, treated customers poorly, shirked responsibilities, or even stole from the business that I realized how fortunate we were.

In all the years we were open, I only had to let go of three employees. And none of them for reasons as egregious as theft.

So what was my secret?

I hired on personality and willingness to learn, not just on paper credentials. Because I knew I could teach anyone the technical skills they needed. I could train them on how to pour a beer, explain a style, or represent our brand. But what I couldn’t teach was responsibility, positivity, critical thinking, or how to treat people well. Being able to teach was my strength.

I’ll never forget one of our best hires: a young woman who told me, “I grew up in Denver, I don’t know much about craft beer, but I’m fascinated by how it’s taking over my city, and I want to learn more.” She had previously worked at a Starbucks. That told me she knew how to handle every kind of customer in a fast-paced environment, and more importantly, that she was a learner. I was confident I could teach her the rest. And sure enough, she became one of our absolute best.

The moral of the story? As an entrepreneur, know where you shine in the other areas of running your business, and also where you don’t. For me, one of my weaknesses was social media. (And let’s be honest, it’s still changing daily, sometimes, I swear, just for fun.) I had zero knowledge about algorithms, hashtags, or strategy. And every time I thought I understood something, the rules changed again.

That’s where entrepreneurs often waste so much valuable time and energy, spinning their wheels, getting frustrated, maybe even crying over something that’s not in their wheelhouse.

Instead of burning energy on what drains you, double down on your strengths, which is the reason you opened your business in the first place. Go back to that mission statement and remind yourself of your “why.”

And for the rest? That’s where Profit Rebels comes in.

We help you make a plan for hiring when you’re ready to grow your team. We create calendars for events that drive business. We help you with the behind-the-scenes work so you can be out front, shining—teaching, creating, connecting—doing what your mission statement says you were meant to do.

Because knowing your weaknesses isn’t a flaw. It’s actually one of the smartest strengths you can have.