What makes you a "Trusted Adviser"?

"Trust is the confident reliance on someone when you are in a position of vulnerability.”

Dr. Robert F. Hurley

It is early Tuesday morning and you find yourself in a bind, who are you going to call? Is that person your spouse, boss, friend, business associate, child, or someone else? Ponder for a moment who your "GO TO PERSON" is when you need help. All of us hopefully have a few people we can call on, no matter what, and know that they will be there to help us solve the problem at hand, or, at the very least, offer a kind word or a shoulder to cry on, depending on the nature of the vulnerability. 

In business, small businesses in particular are run by sole proprietors, who don't have a team of advisers, often don't even have a formal Board of Directors, and they may not have any staff, either, that they can "bounce ideas off of". In those circumstances, it is increasingly important to network and surround yourself with people who you can trust and call on when you need to make an important business decision in a timely manner. A trusted adviser is someone you can call on knowing that you can rely on that advice in the time of need, someone you can be sure will be there to help you solve the problem at hand, brainstorming with you, exchange ideas and strategies, remind you of your own abilities and options, review the pros and cons of all options, and counsel you for the best course of action, and stand by you as you confidently move forward and produce the desired results. This is the person you can call on and be assured that they are invested in your success.

Many small businesses outsource their Payroll, Accounting, Human Resources, and other back office functions. However, you cannot always delegate or outsource when you need critical business advise, you need a relationship based on trust to know that the adviser understands you, your business as well as your constraints, and will offer their best counsel to help you achieve success. Make an effort to cultivate relationships that lead to connections who you can count on when in a position of vulnerability and challenge, so you can confidently chart your course through it. Can you be that person to someone in your network? What would prevent you from being so?