When starting out most founders will be wearing every proverbial hat available. There must be a focus to release yourself from this, by looking to employ the right team, you will not be an expert in everything.
Are you a first-time founder or entrepreneur who’s feeling overwhelmed by the sheer amount of hats you must wear to keep your business running? You are not alone! Most founders face the same problem, and it can be difficult to know when to let go of some roles and when to focus on others. But don’t worry! Here you can find the tips and advice to help you understand when it’s time to employ the right team members and get the help you need to make sure your business runs smoothly. Let’s get started!
One of the most important things to remember as a first-time founder is that you cannot be an expert in everything. In order to succeed, you must focus on your strengths and delegate or outsource the rest. This may seem like a lot of work at first, but it’s important to remember that you cannot do everything alone.
One way to delegate some of your work is to hire a Virtual Assistant (VA). A VA can handle tasks such as customer service, social media, bookkeeping, and much more. This can be a great way to free up your time so that you can focus on other aspects of your business.
Another way to delegate some of your work is to hire a freelance worker. Freelancers can handle tasks such as graphic design, web design, content creation, and much more. This can be a great way to get help with specific tasks that you may not have the time or skills to do yourself.
No matter what method you choose to delegate your work, the important thing is to make sure you are focusing on your strengths and not trying to do everything yourself. By delegating some of your work to others, you can free up your time to focus on the most important aspects.
“Work On It, Not Just In It” is a term that encompasses the mindset shift you need to make in order to create a successful business. It’s a shift in perspective that recognises that the purpose of your business is not to serve your life, but rather, your life should be served by your business.
So, why is it so important for you to shift your thinking in order to build a business that works?
Regardless of how much you may identify with being one, it’s a myth that most businesses are started by entrepreneurs. By our definition, “Entrepreneurs” are people who go into business with a vision of a company they want to create—people who don’t rely on their own effort and ability to produce results.
In fact, most businesses are started by what we call “Technicians”. These are people who create a place to go to work for themselves, and make the fatal assumption that understanding the technical work of their business means they’ll be able to successfully build a business that also does that technical work.
It’s an assumption that’s simply not true. It’s not only the primary cause of the failure rate of businesses—half of all businesses never make it to their fifth anniversary—but also leaves the remainder in survival mode. Many are just hanging on. Others have lost their passion, just not having fun anymore.
Here are some examples of what we mean:
If you’re a graphic designer, you may have the technical skill to produce superb visual communication through type, photography and illustration, but it doesn’t mean that you understand what it takes to build a graphic design business that can make a promise to its customers and keep it every time—consistently and predictably.
If you’re an electrician, you may be so technically savvy that you can wire a building the size of the Sears Tower in Chicago, but it doesn’t mean that you know anything about building the marketing, finance, management, lead generation, lead conversion, customer fulfilment or leadership processes that every successful electrical contracting business needs.
If you’re a real estate agent, you may be outstanding at representing clients who are looking to buy a new home or sell the one they have, but it doesn’t mean you’re prepared to create a real estate firm that can thrive whether you’re there or not, leaving you free to live the life you really want.
If you’re a Technician at heart, you’re not just passionate about the product or service you deliver – you’re also really good at what you do. From the very first day you went into business for yourself, you’ve been relying on your personal ability to get things done, because no one does it better than you. It’s almost heroic what you’ve been able to accomplish!
And, it’s just not enough. It can only get you so far. At a certain point, you can’t help but feel the impact of all the demands of owning and operating a business that you just weren’t prepared for.
Trying to stay on top of it all can be pretty overwhelming. You can spend a lot of time working without feeling like you’re getting anywhere. It’s a tragic expenditure of time and effort.
But it just doesn’t have to be that way.
Working on it, not just in it can change everything.
Thank you for reading.
A.