You Can’t Fix What You Don’t Realize Is Broken

Running a business means wearing many hats — visionary, leader, marketer, accountant… maybe even printer paper expert. But no matter how intelligent or experienced you are, there are blind spots in every entrepreneur’s knowledge. Often, it’s not the big-picture strategy that breaks a business — it’s the small, overlooked detail. Like using the wrong kind of paper for high-speed printers, which one business owner unknowingly did for months, costing hundreds of thousands in lost time, materials, and employee morale. The culprit? A tiny technical spec: long grain vs. short grain.

This real-life mistake is a powerful reminder: it’s not about what you don’t know — it’s about what you don’t even realize you don’t know. And that’s exactly why surrounding yourself with experts isn’t a luxury, it’s a lifeline. Whether it’s IT security, supply chain logistics, or financial modeling, having someone on your team who understands what you can’t means the difference between failure and resilience. The smartest move is knowing when to step aside and let someone else guide the way.

Here are a few ways to protect your business from costly blind spots:

• ✅ Hire for what you don’t know – bring in specialists, not just generalists.

• 📚 Stay curious – read, ask questions, and invest in continuous learning.

• 🧠 Build a smart inner circle – advisors, peers, or consultants who challenge your assumptions.

• 🔍 Audit your operations regularly – not just for finances, but for efficiency and risk.

• 🤝 Partner with people who see what you can’t – like Cardinal Delta, who helps businesses identify gaps, streamline systems, and safeguard their growth.

  
  

Because sometimes, the smartest thing you can say as a leader is: “I don’t know — but I know who to ask.”