Some years ago, LGE Execs' Walt Atkinson, then an airline executive, decided to launch his own airline. His first priority: "Getting the right people in place. I ran three airlines before I decided to embark on this, but I didn't have the expertise." Atkinson invested substantial time and money in securing the key players to fill the think tank, including a marketing person and an expert on the FAA certification process. He made sure he had the connections, both locally and in Washington D.C., to build a strong foundation for success. In short, he hired people who knew the things he didn't know.

This strategy seems so obvious at first glance — and yet the number of business owners who fail to implement it would stagger you. You'll never hear about most of these businesses for the simple reason that they never get off the ground. The "one man and a dream" companies often fare the worst. Their owners feel such a need to micromanage every aspect of the business that they don't even stop to ask themselves what they don't know. In some cases they try to teach themselves through the school of hard knocks, only get their dream knocked right out from under them.

That's one reason LGE Execs can prove such a critical aid for growing enterprises. Business owners can leverage the expertise and experience of our executive and managerial professionals to guide them over the bumpy road ahead. They can help you locate funding, build strong connections within the community, develop a firm corporate infrastructure — all the tasks expected from a veteran leadership team.

Don't assume you can go it alone or that you know everything. Hire a fantastic core team — and then listen to what they have to say.