There are some things you can DIY well enough by watching a YouTube video or reading instructions.

Smaller home improvement projects fall under this category. Over the weekend, I was able to rewire our new smoke alarm without shocking myself, for example.

I was very proud of myself.

There are some things you could probably manage doing yourself, but it’s far better if you hire a professional.

Editing your own podcast and YouTube videos lands here. The time you spend for the quality you get isn’t worth it for most people.

Back in the home improvement realm, we recently got a new smart lock, but I realized our exterior door doesn’t have a deadbolt, so we need to add one.

I could probably do this myself…but the time/quality factor isn’t worth it. It will take me much longer, I’ll have to buy the right tools, and if I mess it up, we’ll need to get a new door.

Then there are things you definitely shouldn’t do yourself. Replacing your roof if you’re not a roofer, or installing a new HVAC system.

Fixing my Proverbial Roof

In our own businesses, it’s easy to underestimate this because the risks don’t feel as big as messing up the literal roof over your head.

I made this mistake with trying to create my own signature framework.

After having Charlotte Crowther on my podcast, I was excited and energized to create one…but I wasn’t sure I was able to hire Charlotte.

So I worked on it on the plane ride home from Craft + Commerce…and then for the next 3 weeks.

What I got…wasn’t it.

There are a few reasons for this.

I don’t have the skills or insight that Charlotte (or an outside consultant) has. So I was basically winging it with the help of our interview, some research, and ChatGPT.

I cannot make graphics. It’s possibly the weakest part of my game, and the visual is a crucial part of a signature framework.

I’m personally more of an implementor than a big picture thinker. I don’t think this will surprise anyone. When a problem presents itself, I immediately jump to how to solve it (much to the chagrin of my wife and friends who sometimes just want to vent).

But perhaps most importantly, I’m bringing my baggage — my assumptions and biases — to the exercise. When no one is prompting me or challenging me, it’s easy for me to think, “first idea, best idea.”

So I had a conversation with Charlotte and I’ve hired her to help me with my signature framework.

The first exercise she had me do has already proved I made the right decision. The questions I had to answer, and the problems I had to think through gave me more clarity, much faster, than doing it on my own.

Know when to DIY and when to Hire a Pro

Earlier this week I talked about how good defense beats good offense, in sports and in business.

Part of a good defense in business is protecting your time. I tried to cut corners with my signature framework to save some money. But I ended up wasting a TON of time during a summer where I’m already time starved due to travel and my kids being out of school.

For many business owners…and maybe just people in general…this is inevitable. Sometimes the best sales tactic is actually feeling the pain.

But good defense is about preventing that exact thing. It’s recognizing when you’re looking at replacing a smoke alarm, which is something you can do yourself, vs. replacing the roof, a project so complicated and consequential you need to hire a professional.

So I’ll ask you: what’s the ‘roof replacement’ project in your business, and why are you still trying to DIY it?

Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash