No Startup is an Island, by @marenkate

Founder Feedback gives you insights from the startup trenches. In a story posted to her blog Escaping the 9 to 5, Maren Kate, founder of Zirtual, preaches the importance of delegation, outsourcing, and generally asking for help while you travel the lonely road of entrepreneurship. As she eloquently puts it, "no startup is an island."

Read the full story on Escapingthe9to5.com here. Below is an excerpt:

"Starting your own business can be a lonely, lonely time... For most of my work-for-myself career I’ve been alone, no co-founder, no partners and it was always difficult.

Not only has it taken an emotional toll (we really are social creatures) but I did everything in my business from the highest level (like forming a new marketing campaign) to the lowest level (like researching spam filters for my email account).

Even early on I knew there had to be a better way…

Then one day I discovered outsourcing and slowly began adapting to delegation as a way of life... I can’t imagine where I would be if I hadn’t learned to let go of the unimportant “reigns” and focus on the 20% of my day that really matters...

This is a lesson that every would-be entrepreneur and full blown business owner needs to hear… no startup is an island.

Outsource (it’s like building bridges to your island)

Even if you’re desperately poor and a very early stage business you can use some clever tactics to grow your business faster, with help and without breaking the bank. I have employed these tactics since day one (I was REALLY broke, straight out of college w/ no $) and they have saved me every time:

1. Outsource offshore at first...
2. But don’t outsource your core competency...
3. Just outsource everything else. Early on do you need a full time support person? No. Unless support is your core competency (think Zappos). Instead you could outsource your support team needs... Do you need a website, but won’t need a designer for the long term? Outsource it, the team that did Zirtual’s beautiful design is on Elance and you can hire them to make you a killer website too for far less than it would cost to hire a firm in the U.S. Do you need an assistant to help you for a few hours a day but can’t afford a full time secretary? Hire a virtual assistant (through us!) and watch your productivity skyrocket while your stress levels plummets.

Ask (it’s like inviting people to live on your island)

The art of asking seems to be a lost and/or abused art, depending on who approaches it. Asking people for help, advice or feedback is actually one of the best things you can do for your fledgeling startup and the relationships you build will benefit you exponentially in the future.

Ask for help, advice, favors, press but remember that asking is a two way street. You’ll get much farther if you have something to give back or at least try to provide value to the other person first.

Think of it like trading mangos from your Island for coconuts from your neighbor’s.

Learn (it’s like bringing books to a deserted island)

...You’re new business is like a lush, massive, untouched new world. You can destroy it through ineptness and making simple, silly mistakes or you can get really smart and learn from others who have settled new territory before by reading every good book you can get your hands on, listening to every business interview and in general becoming a sponge for knowledge...

Last but not least, hire an assistant

It’s vital that even early on you get into the habit of delegating tasks, managing someone other than yourself and focusing on the big picture items that will make your startup succeed versus booking hotels, scheduling meetings or researching keywords for your website. The best way to do this is to start a long term relationship with a quality virtual assistant, this person will save you gobs of time and money..."

Zirtual, a service that connects busy people with virtual assistants dedicated to making your life better, is a Graduate of the Silicon Valley Founder Institute. Follow Maren Kate on Twitter at @marenkate, and Zirtual at @zirtual.