You’re a small business owner who wears a whole lot of different hats…
You’re a salesperson, client service deliverer, organizer, manager, mediator, problem solver, bookkeeper and decision maker among (many, many) other things.
With that said, do you know if all of those roles have you working ON your business or IN your business?
What I mean by that is this: When you work IN your business you’re putting in countless hours in an effort to get your business to grow, and are heavily involved in the day-to-day operations, managing every single detail.
Simply put, you’re just a doer. Positioned more as working a job, NOT running your business. On the flip side, when you work ON your business you take on the role of leader instead of doer. Here are a few of the best tips I’ve learned over the years about how to work on your business.
1. Choose Wisely
This one is huge. Learn how to hire the right people for the job. When you surround yourself with trustworthy, hard working vendors and/or employees whose goals and values align with your business, YOU ARE GOLDEN.
This means you won’t be constantly worrying about their performance and if “stuff” is actually getting done. It allows you to focus on growing your business and not the smaller trivial tasks.
Bonus tip: If you need a little help in 5 different areas, hire 5 people who’s top strength falls into your area of need to support you on an as needed/part-time basis.
If this is one of their top strengths and something they enjoy doing the most, they will naturally attack what you need done first over other clients or other projects. This is not the time to hire a “jack of all trades and master of none.”
2. Train Properly
While we’re on the subject of hiring, the next logical step is to mentor and train your support team properly. It’s your role as a leader to equip your team with the skills and understanding of your business that they need in order to work to their fullest potential.
A properly trained team will make your life easier in the end. Create a solid system with consistency and you’ll have a well-oiled machine at the core of your business.
3. Know What’s Important
Your business’s reputation and customer’s satisfaction are key to success and they are ultimately determined by what your business expects of itself. Set your own standards high, and make sure they’re well thought out, planned and executed. This creates a road map for your employees and customers. What are your company’s core values? Every member of your team should know and live by those morals, values and expectations.
4. Pass the Baton
Know when to delegate. I cannot stress this enough. You really cannot work on your business if you’re doing everything yourself. That in itself is the definition of working IN your business, doing it all! This, after all, is why you recruit and hire the right people. See the trend we’ve got going on here? Will things not always get done perfectly when you delegate? Yes.
And you can afford to mend occasional mistakes more than you can afford to do everything yourself.
5. Listen More
Always, always, always listen to what others have to say (and prepare yourself for the truth!). It’s ok not to know everything. In fact it makes you more human and gives you an opportunity to go find the answer and report back (giving you another chance to impress your client, prospective client or potential partner).
You should always be learning, this separates the true leaders from the wannabes; the ability to adapt and change if need be. Feedback is a wonderful tool to help build and grow your business.
A final thought I’ll leave you with… if you’re only making decisions that will affect your business in the next 30 days you’re probably making the wrong decisions. Focus on the opportunities and possible obstacles you could face down the road, way down the road even instead of only immediate activities (instant gratification).
Building a business is about creating today’s money and tomorrow’s money on a daily basis.
– Dana
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