What Do You Love About Running Your Business? (And why aren’t you doing more of it?)
There are usually two reasons entrepreneurs start a business: necessity or love. (No, not THAT kind of love.) If you truly love running your business, it’s unlikely you got started out of the basic need to earn a living or because you simply hated your old job.
But, no matter the reason you went to work for yourself, there will always be things you dislike (hate?) about being “The Boss”. The question then becomes, “Why are you doing them instead of the things you enjoy?”
Maybe this quotation from world-famous, serial entrepreneur Sir Richard Branson will help us make it clearer:
“I believe that drudgery and clock-watching are a terrible betrayal of that universal, inborn entrepreneurial spirit.”
Admin tasks, payroll, bills, and so many other things can interfere with doing what you love about being a designer, designing! Or, if you're a furnishings dealer, selling! So, why do you let all that stuff take up 40%-60% of your time, energy, and focus?
If You Don’t, Who Will?
If You Don’t, Who Will?
The almost ubiquitous answer from busy entrepreneurs is, “Well, somebody has to do it!” Right… But the solution is in your answer: SOMEBODY. And, that somebody does not always have to be you!
Back in June, we shared some thoughts on Outsourcing Admin Tasks. Since a few of you have yet to turn over all of that work to a virtual support team, we thought we’d remind you of a few salient points.
1. As a small business owner, your time is your most precious commodity. It’s an asset even more valuable than your expertise as a designer or furniture dealer.
2. And yet, your time is also your greatest restraint; the ultimate factor that limits your ability to put your energy, talents, and creativity to their most effective use in the service of your clients.
3. By delegating mundane business tasks to a virtual team or other sub, you free up more of your time and energy to service existing clients and acquiring new ones. This is what generates revenue, after all – and this is where your focus must be!
We don’t want to belabor the point, but running your business does not have to include more of doing the drudgery you hate than the creativity you love. In fact, if you hated your old job enough to take the leap and start your own business, it makes no sense at all to struggle with tasks you can’t stand.
Looking for Help?
If you're having trouble deciding which parts of your business you should outsource, and which to spend more time on, Ted is available for business consulting and coaching. His more than two-and-a-half decades of experience in the industry, along with running his own business, make him a wonderful foil for your ideas, limitations, and challenges.