Informational interviews are a good tool for a small business owner to use to find out about their field of business. The interview should not be about gaining intelligence on the daily operations of a company, but to ask questions about what it takes to be in the industry. For example:

What kind of background does a person in this field usually have?

Explain your best/worst day?

What are the character traits of a successful person in this industry?

If you could change one thing about the industry, what would it be?

These kinds of questions are more probing and will provide you with more valuable information that goes beyond “best practices”. You don’t have to stick with someone in your industry, interview a small business owner whose business reflects a level of success you are striving for, and see what it took for them to get to that level. In my next blog, I will have an informational interview I did with someone in the publishing industry. If you feel you are at an impasse with your business and really want to know if you have what it takes to be a success, give informational interviews a try.

Side note: this is also a good tool for a job seeker or someone looking to change careers.

Have you used informational interviews when building your business? Would you consider doing one, why or why not?

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