NOTE: This post originally appeared in my Musepreneur column on the Wishstudio.

As a creative entrepreneur you probably wear many hats – from creator and writer all the way to bookkeeper and scheduler. I bet you love doing your craft, blogging, or painting, but you probably loathe the more left-brain business tasks. Believe me, I’d rather be drawing colorful doodles than drawing up dry legal contracts. But just because I loathe those left-brain details doesn’t mean I can ignore them, even if I desperately want to bury my head in the sand.

Maybe you’ve reached out for help before and you feel like you’ve gotten burned. I’ve had that happen more than once and it can be very frustrating and discouraging. But before you vow that it’s easier to just do it yourself, ask yourself what are you truly passionate about? Why did you start your creative business in the first place? Chances are you’re passionate about everything but those burdensome details that are driving you crazy! You started your business to bring beauty and creativity into the world, not to be buried in bank statements or endless administrative to-dos.

When I first started out, I handled most of the business details (and my hubby helped, too, with all things techie and research-related). Soon enough I realized that in order to help my business grow (and for me to stay sane!), I needed to invest in some help. Since then, I’ve slowly expanded my “virtual team” to include an accountant, bookkeeper, virtual assistant, and when needed, a lawyer and graphic designer. They help me focus on the things I enjoy and they get to focus on what they enjoy. It’s a win/win for everyone!

Here are some tips for when you’re ready to start working with someone:

• Be clear about what you need help with. List the tasks that you want to delegate. Even if you don’t have an ongoing need, perhaps you have an upcoming project that could benefit from expert advice or an extra pair of hands. Maybe you’re launching a new website, developing a new workshop, or preparing for a big art show.
• Be clear about whom the perfect person would be to help you with these tasks. What qualities and experience does she possess? What are her values and how do they align with yours? Get out your journal and write about this perfect person as if you’ve already been working with her for a while. Describe what you enjoy most about your partnership.
• To find potential people, ask friends and colleagues for referrals, network and talk to people, and search online.
• Interview at least two to three people so you can get a feel for who would be the best fit. Ask a set of questions to help you gather the information you need. Inquire about their process, turn around time, rates, and anything else you need to make your decision. You might even want to ask to speak to past or current clients.
• Do your homework, but also make sure you follow your gut. You want to have a good feeling about working with them.
• When you decide to hire someone, spend some time during your first meeting to get to know each other and learn about each other’s working style and expectations.
• Keep the lines of communication open so that both of you can give feedback and raise any concerns before they snowball. If things can’t be resolved after having conversations, don’t be afraid to move on. It may feel like an awkward or uncomfortable “break up,” but be willing to start looking again if it’s not working out. Don’t settle. You’ll be much happier when you find the right person!
• Continue to develop your working relationship with your outside partners. Show your appreciation for their good work. Let them know how much they are helping you and what you love about working with them. Help them expand their business by referring them to your friends and colleagues.

If you’re not ready to hire outside services, check out these other tips for getting help so you don’t have to go it alone.

Express an attitude of gratitude.

Focus on what you’re thankful for in your life and your creative business. Ask yourself what’s working well? Find the positive nuggets of learning.

Here are a few fill-in-the-blanks to help prompt your attitude of gratitude:

• I’m grateful for…
• My life would be dull if it weren’t for…
• The following people make my life richer…because they… (these could be people your personally know or people who simply inspire you)
• I appreciate the following things about myself…
• This year I’ve been blessed with…

Take one dose of Right-Brain Booster as needed to enhance your creative intuition.

Have you made your own Right-Brain Business Plan™? We’d love to feature you, your visual plan, and your creative business in a future Spotlight. If you’d like to be considered, please e-mail info @ artizencoaching.com. We look forward to hearing from you!

In the meantime, you can check out past Spotlights on fabulous featured creative entrepreneurs and their inspiring Right-Brain Business Plans™.

The Creativity World Forum happened earlier this week in Oklahoma during Global Entrepreneurship Week. I enjoyed watching their inspiring video above about the event.

Also as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, President Obama proclaimed today as National Entrepreneurs’ Day.

A fabulous post about changing your business to follow your spirit from the always wise and wonderful Goddess Leonie. Plus, she just launched her new 2011 Creating Your Goddess Year Workbook, Planner & Calendar. The 2010 one rocked and this one looks even more amazing.

I really loved Chris Guillebeau’s post Who You Are and What They Say – if you’re a creative entrepreneur blazing your own trail, you will love it, too.

Here’s more creative inspiration from Jamie Ridler’s post for entrepreneurial dreamers.

And, I’m excited to let you know that you can now pre-order my forthcoming book The Right-Brain Business Plan: A Creative, Visual Map for Success which will be published by New World Library in February 2011. Woohoo!

Outsource your drudgery and own your passion.

Instead of getting frustrated by things in your business that you don’t enjoy doing or aren’t necessarily your area of expertise, how ’bout getting some help? Really, you don’t have to do it all yourself! Off-load some of those left-brain tasks you loathe so you can focus on what lights you up. You’ll be happier and more productive.

Take one dose of Left-Brain Chill Pill as needed to quiet your judging mind.

NOTE: This post originally appeared in my Musepreneur column on the Wishstudio.

As a creative, independent spirit you may be used to doing things solo.  No one else can do it quite like you can, right?  I have no doubt that you’re the perfect person to do what you’re passionate about.  The core of your business should be doing what you love.  However, that doesn’t mean that you have to do everything on your own.  If you are bearing most of the burden, I bet that you often feel burnt out.

Not only can having support help you focus on getting the important things done, it also helps you maintain balance as well.

Support comes in many forms: pro bono or paid for, friends or freelancers, advice, accountability and a devil’s advocate or brainstorming, encouragement and simply listening.  Get clear on what type of help you need for what pieces of your business.  Perhaps you need expert guidance on how to set up a blog or Quickbooks.  Or you may just need a group of friends to give you feedback on a new workshop you’re creating.

Action: Make a helping hand wishlist of all the things you need help with in your business.  Also, consider other areas in your life where you could use support, too.  For example, I love that I can actually get work done while someone else is cleaning my house!

Below are a several suggested structures and resources to help you get the help that you need:

• Find an accountability buddy. If you’re looking for an easy, no-cost way to get some help and to help someone else, partner with an accountability buddy.  This is someone who you meet with regularly either in-person or on the phone to report on progress, talk through issues and celebrate successes.  A typical meeting might last an hour with each person having 30 minutes to share.  As you look through posts and comments here on the Wish Studio you might happen across someone you’d like to buddy up with.  Reach out to her. You never know what might happen!
• Corral your creative cohorts. A group provides a similar structure to an accountability buddy, but because there are other musepreneurs, you’ll get even more support and several different perspectives.  Meet regularly in-person or over the phone (get a conference call line at sites like http://www.nocostconference.com or http://www.freeconferencecall.com).  I have the good fortune of being part of such a group, which one of the members lovingly coined our “Nurture Huddle.”  We do a 90-minute call every other week and rotate meeting facilitation.  We share personal and professional challenges, celebrate successes, ask for ideas and feedback, and name our commitments for the next call.  We laugh often and learn a lot!
• Create an Advisory Board. If you want a more formal structure dedicated solely to your business, create an Advisory Board of designated experts who can guide you in growing your business.  Check out this helpful article on creating an advisory board from Entrepreneur magazine.
• Conduct a focus group. Perhaps you need targeted feedback for a specific project.  Instead of shooting in the dark, gather members of your target audience together (or even just some friends if you want something more casual) to test your ideas and offer suggestions.  Here’s a great article on how to conduct a focus group.
• Hire a coach. When you want 1:1 support with achieving your goals, consider working with a coach.  Through various stages of my life and business, I’ve hired different coaches.  They’ve been invaluable in helping me to transition from corporate to entrepreneurship, develop products, work on my book and so much more!  Ask around for referrals or search for coaches at the International Coach Federation or The Coaches Training Institute.
• Find a mentor. Mentors will take you under their wing and show you the ropes.  They have more experience than you and can offer wisdom and insights.  I found a mentor through Twitter!  I searched on Expressive Arts and found Chris Zydel, only to discover that her studio is 10 minutes from my house.  Be on the look out for potential mentors.  Take a class and see if you click with the teacher.  Ask a former colleague out to lunch.  For more tips, check out this great Ladies Who Launch article on how to find and work with a mentor and also Findamentor.org.
• Outsource tasks. I cannot tell you how many tears I’ve shed over Quickbooks.  In the beginning I had the bookkeeping under control but after awhile I ended up with a big, ugly mess that sucked up way too much of my time.  I learned from that mistake and invested in a bookkeeper.  What’s the thing that drives you crazy?  What tasks require expertise?  Where will delegating free you up to focus on doing what you love?  Ask for referrals, or search on sites like Resource Nation or Elance.

Action: Choose at least 2-3 things from your helping hand wishlist and identify at least 1-2 ways you can get support for each one you selected.

Bonus points: Based on your list, reach out to someone today and ask for the help you need.

Running a creative business can be challenging.  And it can also be lots of fun when you invite others to play with you!