Scientists in academia are (generally) good examples of people who regularly decide that being an expert in everything is not necessary. If research leads into an area where a scientist isn’t an expert, it is more and more common for said scientist to contact his/her friend who is an expert in that topic/field to collaborate on the project.

I haven’t pinpointed any particular rubric for knowing when to collaborate, but certainly outsourcing is the key to maintaining flexibility while staying competitive! In a world of such rapid technological and social advancement, there are fewer and fewer situations in which becoming an expert is the most efficient solution to a problem.

I suspect, however, that for most of us with an entrepreneurial bent, one or both of the following factors affects our desire to outsource or collaborate:

1) personal enjoyment in our pursuit and satisfaction of learning/becoming an expert in new things

2) lack of financial resources for outsourcing

The relative weight you assign to these factors will, of course, affect whether you decide that becoming an expert (or continuing on without one) is an asset or a liability for you.