Simon Sinek, author of Leaders Eat Last, said “Nothing of real value on this earth was built by one person without the help of others. There are few accomplishments, companies, or technologies that were built by one person without the help or support of anyone else. It is clear that the more others help us, the more we will achieve.”

One of the biggest thoughts I hear expressed by other entrepreneurs is the desire to work with others and someday work with a team. We were designed to need each other to survive. We go after connection without even making a conscious choice; it’s such an innate part of us as humans. It is next to impossible to be happy and fulfilled when isolated and all alone. Wrap that into our deep desire to make a difference and impact those around us; doing life and business WITH PEOPLE is something most of us long for on some level.

CHAR co shifted into a team structure about four years ago. The business was several years old, I had just moved into a space, and day-to-day details were becoming too much for me to manage well. I longed for companionship and to work side by side with others. I sensed the need to change the face of the brand; something to give the brand more depth and I knew I couldn’t do that alone.

And so I jumped in. Prepared as much as a person can prepare for something that they know nothing about. It was a heart decision more than a intellectual decision. God met me there and brought incredible people to me, people that were just what the business needed and had the patience and love to walk with me.

But building a team came with a steep learning curve. In fact, one of my steepest learning curves in my years of building a business. One that knocked me on my face more times than I can remember. But I would never go back to working alone.

See there is a beautiful thing that happens when we work together. It compares to a miracle. It’s called synergy. One plus one is not two. One plus one is four. Four plus four is sixteen. Sixteen plus sixteen is one thousand. When we work together, our efforts multiply and we can move mountains.

That friends, is the beauty of team.

Team comes in many forms and platforms and can look different for different businesses. Over the next few weeks I will be writing more about team from my perspective here at Char co. The team will be adding their insight also. The process, the ups and downs, and the benefits. Come back next week, I will be talking about one of the hardest lessons I learned, one that we never fully stop learning.

If you have specific questions about building a team, please share! Comment below, send email, we would love to hear your questions. xo