Why is it so hard to ask for help? This is a weakness for many people – and there’s so many reasons why that may be. A major part is the fear of bugging people. There’s a difference between knowing how to ask for help and making it feel burdensome. It requires approaching that ask with a certain energy. We’re going to look at how you can do it without putting the pressure on.

There are two main factors that contribute to getting better at asking:

1. Do you have your asking muscles developed?
2. Do you have people to ask?

When you’re going in for an ask, you have to make sure you know what you’re asking for. Ask it in a way that doesn’t require follow-up questions. Be clear and concise and don’t waste the person’s time. You may only get one shot at this so take your time making sure the question is just right.

Whatever you do, don’t be an “askhole.” That’s someone who asks for advice but doesn’t take any action. If you’re going to ask for help, make sure you action the answer immediately. It doesn’t have to be perfect, but when people see that you’re the kind of person who puts advice into practice, they’ll be happy to give you more of it.

The second part of this is who you ask. A lot of people are shooting for the stars and asking the biggest names they can think of without having the ability to offer them anything in return. Instead, start with the people within your own network. If you don’t have a network, it’s your job to seek out people online and find them. People with similar goals, interests, or wants as you.

Knowing how to ask and how to build a circle of influence to ask within is going to make your journey as an entrepreneur so much smoother. Collaboration is the shortcut to success. It is a skill, but it is one worth building.