This is part of a series called "One Entrepreneur's Journey," where I'm talking with solo entrepreneurs about their successes (and failures) along the path of entrepreneurship.

In this interview, I spoke with Debbie Whitlock, financial adviser and co-founder of Sound Financial Partners.  Debbie has a passion for creating sustainable investment strategies for women in transition due to the death of their husband or partner or due to divorce.  In 2008, Debbie was named “Woman of the Year” by her broker-dealer, Woodbury Financial Services, Inc., for her commitment to women and investing as well as her support of other women in the financial services industry.

Tell me about your business and how you got your start as an entrepreneur.

I am a financial adviser in private practice for a little over thirteen years now, and specifically inside my practice, I create personal strategies, investment strategies for suddenly single women who have experienced the loss of their spouse due to death or divorce.  The whole opportunity to start my own business really came in 2002.  The small firm I was with had changed its focus, and it wasn't in alignment with the clients I served and the vision I had for my future, so I worked out an arrangement to acquire a local business, and that's how my company Sound Financial Partners was born.

Let's talk about strengths and weaknesses.  What are some things that you struggle with as an entrepreneur, and what do you feel that you're getting right?

One of my biggest flaws when I started this business was, in the beginning, I tried to do it all and tried to do it all myself.  I never reached out and asked for help.  In some ways, I'm really glad I spent those first two years so entrenched in the business, and yet, I feel like I lost two great years of traction, in terms of what really worked for me.  The biggest thing I faced was learning to reach out and ask for help.

One of the strengths I have is probably seeing the big picture and then being able to tactically develop a plan.  That's been an interesting journey, too, learning that the business is me.  I had this vision for a long time that the business and Debbie Whitlock were two separate entities, and nothing could be further from the truth.  I am the business, so trying to use the strength of seeing that big picture and getting me from where I am to where I need to be, either to be of better service to my clients or to create more marketing opportunities or exposure for myself.  That's been probably the easiest piece for me.

Kind of going back to the weakness thing, I can't remember who wrote the book, but I finally feel like I have the right people on the bus, and they're in the right seats.  Once I knew that I couldn't do it all myself, I needed to find the people that could do the things I didn't do well and then put them in the right places to do that.

Probably one of the other things is, I'm not a brick and mortar sort of store, so I have some flexibility in terms of when I work.  I had this weird idea when I first started my practice that I needed to be in my office at eight o'clock and leave somewhere around eight at night, and somewhere along the way, I came to the conclusion that there was no time clock, and no one was docking me, so create a schedule that works for me.  I prefer to work earlier in the mornings.  Trying to give myself permission to understand that when you are a solopreneur and you do have this flexibility that your work day and your world does not have to look like the eight to five, Monday through Friday guy, and that's part of the reason I enjoy so much what I do, is I do have the flexibility.  The challenge that comes with that is, people can flex themselves right out of their business.  They can give themselves permission to have so much free time that they don't create discipline and structure.  Really having made a specific practice of focusing on structure, creating some scheduling and then sticking with that, things like that have really helped me out.

What do you wish you would have known before starting a business?

I don't know if it's so much as known, but I think what I wish I had done, I wish I had created as part of my business plan a specific tactical approach to building a network of advocates and supporters for myself and my work, again kind of going back to that feeling that I did a lot of things alone in the beginning, and I wish I hadn't.  I wish that I had hired a business coach earlier.  I wish that had been an investment I made much earlier in the practice instead of two and a half, three years into it.

Being an entrepreneur can be really lonely.  You've gotta surround yourself with people who are ready to bring their A game.  Think about any major corporation.  They have a board of directors.  As a solopreneur, we don't do that, and then we wonder, "Why isn't this working?"  Whether you call it a mastermind group or a board of direction or your accountability partner, you have to play with some people who are willing to give you 100% of what you need.  It makes a huge difference in how you make decisions.  You have just this wealth of knowledge and different perspectives, and you don't have to reinvent the wheel.

What's your most important lesson as an entrepreneur?

If I stay out of my own way, amazing things can happen.  Perfection isn't necessary.  Done is better than perfect.  If we keep waiting for it to be perfect, it's never going to happen.  If I just get out of the way and do what I know I need to do, it's amazing how easy my business becomes for me.

What's your best advice for new entrepreneurs?

Do your due diligence.  Study the competition.  Take the time to create a business plan.  Know what it's going to cost to operate and when you're going to be able to start drawing an income.  If you don't do those steps, you really will end up with a very expensive hobby.