25 Apr Don’t Make Your Life Fit Your Business
In business, entrepreneurs often dive in head first and try to get everything done on their own. In many cases, this is what’s needed to get your business off the ground, but over time, and as your business grows, you have to be ready and able to start delegating tasks to others.
And, this is where business owners struggle. Because, for so long, you’ve come accustomed to doing everything and, in some cases, you may tell yourself that no one can do it the right way. But, the truth is, when you invest your time and energy trying to do everything, you inevitably pull yourself away from the things that you excel at – things that can be making your business money.
For example, one of my clients was starting to burn out. She was in the office by 6:30am every day and would be lucky to leave by 5pm. She was trying to do all of the work, even though she had teams that were more than capable of doing the work. She had been “trained” not to trust her employees, after a few bad hires that left the company in a bind. She was on a vicious cycle that was not helping her run her business efficiently and was not adding to the bottom line.
We made a list of the things she excelled at, things that she enjoyed doing that could make the company money. And, it turns out, that she thrived when she was able to interact with clients and generate new contracts. But, by her spending 12+ hours in the office, she couldn’t (and wasn’t making time to) get out to the client sites. Her business was not fitting into her life. So, we restructured her workweek. Instead of spending 10+ hours in the office, she would instead delegate office tasks to her team and come in for a few hours to check in and answer a few emails. Now, she would be in from 6:30am to 12:30pm and would spend time out with clients, and a much-deserved day off on Wednesday to do what she enjoyed most – horseback riding. Not only did this give her teams more responsibility and accountability in the company’s performance, but she was able to interact with clients to gain better referrals and a higher book of sale. Plus, with time built in for her to relax and recharge, she was more motivated when she was in the office.
So, it’s time to ask yourself, where in your business do you need a shift? Where does your business not fit in your life? Find these areas, figure out how you can things around so you have more time to dedicate on doing the things you enjoy or excel at. This will not only improve your work-life balance but it will boost your business’ productivity in the process.
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