What is your highest value activity?

You are part of an emerging brand and a young business. As a founder, there is no want for things to do or lack of ways to spend your time. You wear dozens of hats, from leader to accountant; salesperson to a dispatcher. You’re busy!

In the chaos that defines an early-stage CPG company, there is one question you should continually ask yourself, “What is my highest value activity?” 

Your answer to the above may change as the needs of the business evolve over time. Yet, I am going to posit that, in most cases, the highest value activity of any founder is finding and building relationships with the people who can positively influence or affect the long-term outcome of the business. 

This includes investors, advisors, evangelists, professional service providers and more. There is very little that is more vital than surrounding yourself with the team you need to accelerate growth.

The next question is how do you identify, connect and build relationships with those people? There is no one way but there are some simple approaches I can offer. 
 

Once you’ve made the connection, the next step is to build and nurture a relationship. That starts with a simple conversation. Reach out and invite the person to coffee, lunch or if they are far away, a phone call. At first, invest time in getting to know each other and not just on the transactional part of the desired relationship. Always ask how you might add value to or help them. Don’t allow it to be one and done. Establish a regular cadence of outreach. It could be as simple as an email, text, or call checking in and providing an update. But again, make sure there is a reciprocity of interest. Ask them how things are going and always inquire how you can help or add value. 

So, how are you spending your time? Are you connected with and surrounded by the people who can help you grow your business? If not, why not? It is easy to get swept away in the busyness of entrepreneurship, but don’t lose sight of what is most important. Don’t let that busyness keep you from doing what might be a little uncomfortable. Building a network is not easy and can be awkward. Yet, in my opinion, it is one of the highest value activities for any founder. 

Elliot Begoun is a 30-year industry veteran, author and the founder of TIG, a practice focused on helping emerging natural product brands grow.

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