If you are anything like me, you would be perfectly fine with doing everything yourself… at least you think. I have a reality check for you, you can’t. I know, the last thing you want to hear when you are investing in new technology, like laser scanning, is the word “can’t”. Let me explain. About six years ago, I had the “solo” mindset, but as soon as work started piling up and everyone needed their projects done at the same time, I found myself making a lot of mistakes – mistakes that almost cost me some really good clients. This was a wake-up-call for me. I realized that the only way to truly be successful was to surround myself with the best and brightest talent that I could find. This is not to say that I couldn’t have made it on my own, but I have learned from experience that there is a much greater chance of success if you build a team and learn to work as a team.

Here are some simple pointers to remember:

• Proof Read Everything, then let someone else proof it before you send it out. As the creator of an email, proposal, Statement of Qualifications or any other minor/major document it is very easy for you to make some really simple, yet stupid mistakes.
• Surround Yourself with Talent – work as hard as you can and do as much as you can possibly do until the point where you can justify building your team. Once you get to that point, take your time to find the right person. Remember, it is equally important to find someone that is not only qualified, but can work well with a team. If they have a horrible personality, or no personality at all for that matter, then one defeats the other. Don’t waste your time. Move on to the next person. Remember, if you find someone who is reliable, trustworthy and has a good personality, you can train them how collect or process laser scan data. After all, the laser scanning sales people have been telling us for years that scanning is so easy a monkey could do it. I have been very fortunate to have found very talented individuals who didn’t have a clue what a point cloud was, but with a little bit of training have become some of the most talented individuals in the industry.
• Failure is OK – This one is tough and I struggle with it every single day. If things don’t work out, if you make a stupid mistake, it is okay. That failure will become a great learning experience that will eventually lead you to success. Just don’t be a loser – someone who gives up after they fail. “It’s not about how hard you hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and get up and keep moving forward” – Rocky Balboa