tell me if you’ve heard this anecdote before.

company has an issue so they call a well-known and respected industry expert to come in and take a look. he or she talks to the CEO, finds out what the problem is, and sits in silence for a moment. then, they say something truly simple but profound or tap their pencil’s eraser on an object’s hull and the problem is solved. the CEO asks how much that’ll cost, and the expert says, “that’ll be [some large amount of money].” the CEO says indignantly, “you were here for 5 minutes! all you did was ____!” and the expert says, “it took me 5 minutes to solve the problem, but a lifetime to acquire the knowledge to know how to fix it.”

end scene.

there are a lot of extremely smart people who focus on a whole lot of different things. they practice for years to perfect their trade in software development, graphic design, online marketing, and many other professions. so when it comes to creating your own thing, remember to lean on those experts. unless ‘hand-crafted’ is a distinct value you’re working towards, there’s no reason to do everything by yourself with your unskilled hands.

when it takes a professional 5 minutes to solve the monumental problem you or your organization are facing and can’t overcome on your own, that’s a price worth paying.

when it comes to expertise: know your limitations. do what you can do, and pay for the rest.