Marissa Mayer, the former CEO of Yahoo, once said: “I realized in all the cases where I was happy with the decision I made, there were two common threads: surround myself with the smartest people who challenge you to think about things in new ways, and do something you are not ready to do so you can learn the most.” Smart people come in all forms and basically they are the ones who make you look at things differently, and who push you to think about things in new ways. One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is believing they can be successful by themselves, in glorious isolation. Yet we cannot do everything alone, or solve important challenges in business without help, or different perspectives and insights. We need other people around us who bring their specialist knowledge and expertise to fill in the gaps. So isn’t it far better to surround ourselves with smart people, with whom we can bounce around new ideas, or find solutions to key challenges. By harnessing the energy of others, our own business acumen is enhanced.