Are you old enough to remember the old Enjoli perfume ad?
"I can bring home the bacon
Fry it up in a pan..."
That was the beginning of the era of "I can do it all" and the expectation that we SHOULD do it all. Of course, the commercial was talking to women, but small business owners fall into that exact same trap.
Tell me if this looks familiar
There's more, but if this looks remotely familiar, I don't need to continue. You already know what's next. The endless cycle of getting everything done and hoping there's enough time to do that thing you do (you know, hang out in your zone of genius).
But just because you CAN do everything doesn't mean you SHOULD or even HAVE TO. You can be in business for yourself, but you don't have to be in business by yourself.
It's certainly understandable that you'd want or even have to do everything in the beginning; you have more time than money.
And it's good to be able to do everything; that way, when you have someone else doing those things, you'll be able to see at a glance if it's being done properly. (Plus, you can do the job in a pinch, if needed)
But what's not good is when you are spending so much time on things that others could be doing that it's keeping you from the things that ONLY YOU can do. It hinders the business growth, adds to your stress levels, and chances are that the non-money-making activities are not being done as well or as efficiently as they could be.
Here's your assignment: Take 15 minutes to evaluate how you're spending your time in and on your business. If you're spending more time IN your business than ON it, it's time to take a look at where you can streamline.
Here are some examples of streamlining:
Time blocking. This requires using some sort of calendaring method. Block off chunks of time to work on projects. I block time for everything from bookkeeping, planning, client work, and, yes, even naps.
SOPs (standard operating procedures). Creating processes for the tasks you do the same way each time. Not only will this ensure things don't fall through the cracks, but also, it becomes a training tool for the time when someone else can pick up the tasks.
Automations. There are a crap-ton (pardon my French) of platforms, apps, and websites that can do multiple things automatically. Imagine a potential client goes to your website and schedules an appointment with you, and then they automatically receive a welcome email and perhaps a questionnaire or freebie. All you have to do is show up for the meeting and work your magic from there.
Outsourcing. This is often the hardest for small business owners to do...we have control issues (I KNOW it's not just me!). This is where you find a qualified professional to handle tasks for you. Maybe it's a bookkeeper; maybe it's a social media person; maybe it's someone to help you oversee all the little things that feel overwhelming to you.
Working with an Online Business Manager. This is someone that can oversee all of the above. You have one person to connect with, and they oversee the rest on your behalf.
Don't do it all. Just do what you do best.
Schedule a strategy session to talk about how using Online Business Manager services can help you run your business.
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