Startup

Are you working on your business or in it? All too often, I hear business owners tell me that the buck stops with them. I hear that no one is better suited to lead the charge, make big decisions, or to even pick a new shipping supplies vendor than them. You may have begun your business as a visionary and there is no doubt that it is and has remained your baby. The question is: Has your baby grown up to be Frankenstein’s monster?

When you started out, it was big dreams, no clients, and your biggest challenge was where your next sale would come from. You didn’t need any employees… it was just you. You certainly couldn’t afford office staff, because when your revenue is $0, you don’t have a lot to work with. Maybe you’ve done well and turned that revenue into a five, six, or even seven figure number. Perhaps you still haven’t found your first sale. If you’re really lucky, you’re just starting out and you fortuitously stumbled upon this post and it will give you years of experience over your competition.

Seldom can we run a business and do well at it alone. If you’ve been in business for any amount of time, you can surely recall the late nights, the sleepless nights, the Saturdays you skipped out on family plans, because your business was calling and without you, it was bound to fail. This is all too often a “necessary evil” and a “means to an end” for those entrepreneurs who eventually plan to leverage themselves and bring on more help. Whether you have hired more help or you haven’t, if you find yourself and your free time consumed by your business, you need to take action to solidify your own success and prevent burnout.

1. Do what matters most!

A common myth I encounter when working with business owners and leaders is that all things matter equally. They start their day with clarity, a schedule, and a to-do list, only to end it with little completed, a longer list, and more stress. It’s easy to mistake all of the things on your to-do list as a should-do list.

Start off by identifying the top priorities on your list which will move your business forward and those which are you highest priorities. Everything else belongs on your could-do list. Practice the 4 D’s: Delete, Delegate, Defer, and Do:

• As you review this list of your lowest priority items, I challenge you to find one item that is of such little importance you can Delete it. Imagine the time you will free up and the feeling of liberation!
• Your next sweep of the list is to identify those things you can Delegate to someone better suited to serve this purpose than you. For now, if it’s just you, this may just be back to you. Is there outside support you can enlist? Third party vendors who can lighten your load?
• Next pass, find those things which don’t require attention today, which you can push forward in your schedule and Defer. The goal over time is to turn these tasks into Deletes or Delegates, once you have identified they are not integral to your success.
• Finally, if these items have passed the first three tests, you must eventually Do them, however, you should have a strategy in place convert these Dos to one of the other D’s.

2. Work from a written job description and organizational chart

What are your job requirements? Before you answer “everything” consider why you got into business? If it was to run around with your hair on fire, tending to things you don’t enjoy, and spending your nights and weekends putting out fires, then never mind… proceed. If you’re like the rest of us, you probably began with a vision.

You imagined yourself being the visionary and either doing something you really enjoy or enjoying the opportunity your business gave you to live your life and to pursue your dreams. How then did you end up in your office on a Friday at 7:00 pm, shipping products and making collection calls?

Even if you’re just getting started, give your role in your business boundaries and know where your next opportunity to leverage your time will come. Your job description comes first, even if it’s a dream at this point. Then, identify the team you will need to support your goals and give them job descriptions as well. Finally, place all of these positions, even those which aren’t yet filled, on an organizational chart. This is your roadmap to leveraging your time and expertise to put the best people in the best positions to ensure your success.

If you have an established business with employees and even if you have an org chart, it never hurts to revisit it. Your business has undoubtedly evolved and new tasks and responsibilities have cropped up. I bet your employees have a keen eye for those things which are “above their pay grade” and “not in their job description” and which have likely fallen on you, the leader. It’s important to continually audit your role and those of your team.

3. Time Block

I love Google Calendar. I just want to throw that out before I tell you how much I despise what Google Calendar does to our lives. There is no doubt that fewer appointments are missed, varying time zones aren’t misinterpreted, and schedule changes are clearly and efficiently conveyed, because of digital calendars. They are great for collaboration, yet terrible for success. The trouble is that other people, with their own agendas and priorities can steal time from your calendar, almost without you even knowing. If you don’t claim your time, someone else will.

Time blocking, as it sounds, means blocking other things from interfering with your time and your top priorities. Once you have determined your success habits (see step 1), you need to get clear on how much time you will allot for them and the best time of day to accomplish them (typically first thing). Then, you will block that time out and protect it as though your biggest dreams depend on them… because they do!

Time blocks are virtually immovable. The only reason I say “virtually” is that if your significant other is in the hospital getting emergency surgery and you are at your office lead generating, you are soon to have a lot more time to lead generate, as you may soon be single. In the event that a time block conflicts with one of your top values, you must re-assign it. If you erase, you must replace! If your time, which you’ve committed to your success is not satisfied today, it must be done tomorrow. If not then, you’ll have to face yourself and explain why your goals are left unfulfilled.

If you are ready to take a role in growing your business and living a life in alignment with your goals, I am ready to help you get there. Tell me in the comments below your takeaway and how you will better leverage your time, to ensure your success.