Why Teamwork Still Matters in Your One-Person Business

Anna Allan
Dec 1, 2025
6 min read

There is not much I miss about school but there is one thing that I feel hugely grateful for which was freely available to me when I was there.

My younger years revolved around sport.

From a young age I participated in anything sport related and when I think back I realise just how much it influenced me as a person.

The attributes I have been described with together with the qualities I live by that has shaped me as a person has been in direct correlation with the sport I did all those years ago.

One of my earliest memories was when I was 5 or 6 years old and a pupil at Allen W Roberts School in New Jersey.

The sports coach teaching us how to play softball had promised that whoever hit a ball out of our direct playing area would be treated personally by him to an ice-cream sundae.

There was excited chatter amongst us all with murmurs of who would, might or could with constant encouragement for the next person to succeed which still sits vividly with me today.

From a young age, being schooled in America mostly offered me constant motivation from both teachers and peers, with a genuine feeling of everyone being in it together and celebrating everyone's personal successes, whether they were big or small.

I have a clear memory of the vocal support I received from my classmates as I took to the batter’s box.

“You can do it… go on... show us…”

As I struck the ball, I knew I had hit it well. The sound it made as my bat hit the ball was solid and it travelled.

It travelled and kept travelling, a slow motion moment whilst everyone looked above and followed the ball with their eyes.

I hit the ball ‘out of the park’ and into the staff car park, bouncing (apologetically) off a car bonnet (hood).

There were cheers and smiles all round and it wasn’t so much a victory for me as one for the team because we were set the challenge together as a strong unit and we achieved the end goal through each other’s support.

Soon after moving from New Jersey to California I joined another school and remember throwing myself into Bonner School’s Olympics, which offered us a range of events and, as a 6 or 7 year old, I relished the opportunity of being able to try my hand at everything.

All competitors were keen and eager to participate with the emphasis on having fun.

The mentoring of each other was remarkable at a young age and conversations of what each other should enter because it was “worth a try” and created a positive mindset coupled with not fearing failure.

The emotional and practical support we offered each other was a great start to learning how real teamwork can develop. The endorsement we gave one another built each other up and created a positive energy.

A few years later, it was time for me to go to boarding school in the UK.

I somehow felt that the enthusiastic attitude towards teamwork might never be replicated and I was conscious of the UK and its people operating very differently to what I had been used to during my primary (elementary) school education.

With my American school breaking up much earlier than UK schools (late May / early June) my last summer holiday seemed to last for ages.

Back in the UK, I often spent the longer, warmer days with my Grandpa, tending to various gardens in the local village.

It felt like my last summer of freedom before going to a school in which I would live and, hopefully, make a few friends as good as I had to leave behind in America.

So I am told, my Mum returned from a shopping trip and asked where I was, expecting me to be watching telly or riding my bike.

My Grandpa had reliably informed my Mum that the local primary school’s sports day was coming up and because I had wanted to take part, he had enrolled me into school until the end of the summer term so I didn’t miss out.

Still related as a funny story of how I was (am?) so competitive so I wanted to go to school, it meant more to me than that and still does.

I continue to enjoy being with likeminded people who want to be in a community and try their best while motivating and encouraging those all around them.

When a trusted bond is formed, it develops and strengthens, creating a tribe that everyone within feels a true part of.

A team brings out the best in people with those in it relying on each other for the best possible outcome; counting on the strength of teamwork they have built to develop and learn; and feeling safe to be around one another in winning and losing situations.

The highlight of celebrating with teammates is one of the best feelings knowing the hard work, effort and synergy has created the result.

It also somehow seems easier to commiserate with teammates when the result is not the way you had hoped rather than beating yourself up after individual events alone.

Why does it seem so different in business? After all, anyone in a corporate or community environment is surely a professional team?

Whilst the word ‘team’ is banded about so often, there is rarely a sense of ‘real’ community feel teamwork in a work setting - so when it is evident, it should be welcomed and appreciated all the more.

As we turn to our professions, there is more to consider and that brings a variety of perspectives. True teamwork might, and often doesn’t, feature as the most important factor to many people in a modern work environment.

Regardless of how strong a team at work feels, the true sense of being in a team is often missed when a person ventures into the world of self-employment.

The one thing that people who become self-employed in one people businesses miss the most is being part of a team.

The realisation of having people around you and doing the same thing in the same environment has its benefits despite the politics, hierarchy and lack of flexibility that being an employee might offer.

So what happens when you do venture out yourself?

You know your craft, you have the experience and want to do it under your own banner, so you move into self-employment.

However, you quickly recognise that has a few pitfalls to contend with. When you want or need time off (this might be for a holiday, sickness or attending to family), there is a heavy weight hanging over you because you can’t be fully present for your Clients.

Teamwork should not be underestimated.

Having people behind you to champion you and be your biggest cheerleader is worth its weight in gold.

We have all heard that a team is only as strong as its weakest member. Being able to lift a teammate up when the going gets tough offers great self-learning and development.

This will be repaid as what goes around comes around and when you feel weak, that same someone will be the one who is happy to carry you.

Mentally and emotionally, having a team back you up can make all the difference. The tribal instinct of loyalty and trust is built and forms a strong bond.

Morale building, support and the camaraderie that comes from a team is something that can determine the outcome of what the team is working towards.

Being backed by peers is what and often can be the difference between success and failure and is more valuable than you might initially believe.

Having reliable people around that you can count on and in which you offer support in return creates a positive state for you and your business and allows it to flourish.

It provides a feeling of safety and when that trust is built you will each feel confident to provide support to one another, even when you are not physically present through holiday, sickness or other commitments.

The emotional and practical support given and received within a close-knit team undoubtedly creates a feeling of having a second family, with the group quite often being the go-to in many areas of life because a real community with mutual trust is built.