It happens to every business owner along the way at some point – the feeling of scrambling around trying to get every task done, but seemingly getting nothing done at all. It is easy to bog down in the mundane, everyday tasks that make your business run.
As a business owner, you feel responsible for everything that happens and possibly micromanages from that perspective. There is an adage that creeps in time and time again: If you want it done right, then do it yourself. It should be: If you want it done right, show true leadership and develop or source stakeholders that can get it done right for you.
Leadership and entrepreneurialism are the most important parts of a business owner’s job. A leader sees the big picture and does not get bogged down and blinded by small tasks. It is vital to ensure that you are working ON the business and not IN the business, as described in Michael Gerber’s book The E-Myth Revisited.
In the book, Michael discusses the three types of business owner: The technician that does the work, the manager that oversees the work, and the entrepreneur who designs a successful business, that the managers oversee the technicians work. When you are finally the entrepreneur, rather than a manager or technician, you can work ON your business.
It can be difficult for someone who is accustomed to having their hand in the daily business tasks to take a step back to change perspective. However, it is possible. Here are four steps guiding you on how to stop working IN your business and start working ON your business.
1. Identify Tasks for Delegation
The first step is certainly to take a step back and truly evaluate your daily routine. Map out what takes up the most time throughout your day. Is it sorting through files? Is it replying to emails or responding to calls?
It is important to be honest with yourself and view your daily tasks as inhibitions to your goal of working ON improving your business. Once you have a firm understanding of how your time is spent, you can move on to figuring out how to make time for other things.
2. Identify Roles for Delegation
On top of tasks, fulfilling various roles in your business can keep your head down rather than where it should be – UP! Someone who is working ON their business is not stuck filling roles other than entrepreneur.
Identify which roles you are filling, other than guiding and directing the business. It could be an accountant, web designer, writer, or administrative assistant. These are roles that you should be prepared to work your way out of.
3. Outsource
It is certainly reasonable that not everything can be delegated to other team members. Maybe they are also encumbered with too much work. It is possible that you just do not have a large enough staff. Potentially, some of these things you have identified as distracting you from working ON your business require some specialized knowledge.
If you feel the need to delegate a task or role but have nowhere to turn, that is where we at Outsourcing Angel come in. Our service can accomplish everything from mundane tasks like customer support to more complicated aspects of your business. Outsourcing Angel provides the support of an expert virtual assistant – meaning you can spend less time staring at e-mail and more time staring at your vision board.
4. Work ON the Business
Now that you have alleviated your time and energy supply from being IN the daily business tasks, you can move on to working ON the business. You now have room to evaluate your team performance, troubleshoot problems, work on strategy, and envision the path your business will take. This is what is called working ON the business. This is being the entrepreneur.
It can be a challenge for a do it all type of person to give up so many roles to work on the business. However, your business will be better for it in the future. Identifying areas that you can outsource will free you to be a better leader and create a better business for you and your staff. Don’t you feel like it is time to be the entrepreneur of your business?
To start taking control of your business again, set up your free personalised strategy session by signing up below and see how we can help you get back to the task of leading your business.
