Whether you are an owner, founder, co-founder, or partner in
a small business, every business owner needs time to work on their business not
in it. Do you ever get the feeling that you can’t get it all done? The only thing we can’t get back is
time. That’s why as business owners it’s
essential that we spend every minute we can serving clients, closing deals and
generating leads. That’s the high payoff
work, but what about all those things that get in the way of the profitable
work? Most business owners are working
like mad to make their business a success.
And that may be the issue.
In the beginning all business owners are caught up with the
passion of creating their vision and getting their business off the
ground. Over time they become
overwhelmed by the day to day stuff that keeps getting in the way of growing
their business. They find themselves working on overseeing the operations,
answering emails, finding new vendors, firing people and all the stuff that is
not helping to advance their business.
If you are truly honest these things are not even in your comfort zone. Yes, it has to be done, but are you as the
business owner the correct person to be working on it? Most people that start a business are Visionaries. If you are a Visionary, you are one of only
3% of the population that create two-thirds of the new jobs in our economy. What is a Visionary you ask?
VISIONARY—vi·sion·ary, noun
\ˈvi-zhə-ˌner-ē\,
First Known Use: 1702
:
one who has clear ideas about what should happen or be done in the future
:
one who has a powerful imagination
:
one who sees visions
:
one who has unusual foresight
Dreamer,
Seer, Creator
Yes, you may be a visionary business owner and that busy
work is not your thing according to the definition. There is obviously no one size fits all, but,
every business owner has his/her own personality, style and approach to leading
teams. When you work “on” your business, you steer the course of the enterprise
– identifying new markets, building a leadership team, developing the culture of
your ventures, etc.
It’s easy to understand why this part gets ignored, but it’s
essential to guard against it, especially in a tough business environment when
a loss of focus can give the competition a foot in the door. Part of the
problem is discipline, but that’s not the only thing. Once business owners lunched their business,
Most of my clients are stressed out and overworked. They are discouraged that
while they talk about planning. It doesn’t get done.
Want to make a
change? It’s all about making the
commitment.
I recommend the following strategies:
Get it on the
calendar. Just as you would schedule
a client, make a regular appointment with yourself. Block off a couple of hours every week. Close the doors and find an opportunity
during the week to work on your business and not in it.
Get focused.
Finding time is great, but you also must focus the time. Be deliberate and disciplined about what you
want to accomplish. You have to work on
your plan before you can use it to work on your business. Even though great leaders work hard, they
realize that they need the space to be able to strategize, to think, to create. Smart leaders also build the culture of
creativity through encouraging their employees to take time to reflect. A lot of your company’s best ideas may come
from your team. Take time to listen to their
ideas and encourage them to come up with bigger, better ways to do the
business, after all, they are the ones doing the day to day details of your
business.
Get some help. Look for a mentor or coach. Many successful
people love sharing their experience.
You may find inspiration and guidance from others facing similar
business challenges. The best leaders
have a clear understanding of their own limitations. They know that success is
a team sport and there is no such thing as a “self-made” man. They realize that
it takes a diverse team to truly innovate.
They search for passionate people in diverse areas of expertise and
bring them together. Great leaders listen more than they speak. Truly amazing leaders empower others to
become leaders. Their higher goal is to work themselves out of the job so that
if they are not around, the organization functions just as successfully as when
they are.
Yes, you are the owner of the business, but, you may need to
put your ego aside and you may need to seek some help to get your business to
the next level. It may be the only way to stop working in the business and
start working on your business and that is truly where your business needs you
to focus.
