Each of us has a gift of 24 hours every day to make our business better. No more, no less. As a business owner, the challenge is how to make the 24 hours available to us most effective? What I have learned is that to operate and grow a business successfully, a business owner must be spending most of their time doing something I call their ‘unique ability’.
What’s your ‘unique ability’?
Every entrepreneur has one (that’s why they started their business) and it is whatever you do better than most people. It could be giving presentations, fixing computers, building financial plans, creating marketing strategies, designing brand identities, developing websites, HR consulting, and the list goes on and on. The point is, regardless of what business you are in, you have a unique ability that causes your company to be successful.
I’m busy, you’re busy, we’re all busy!
But what are we busy doing? If you’re like many entrepreneurs, you’re busy doing everything but your unique ability! Honestly, if you breakdown your day, how much of your time is spent actually doing what your business is meant to do and what you make money from? If it’s a small percentage, that’s the problem right there! The only way for your business to grow is by doing your unique ability more often and for more people every day. It’s that simple.
But it’s not that simple…
Entrepreneurs have a business to manage! And managing a business takes time. Things come up, phone calls need to be made, the back office needs to be managed, etc., etc. No question managing a business can be a daunting task. But to grow your business you have to break out of this cycle. If you’re finding yourself spending more time doing things other than your unique ability, you need to:
- - Hire an assistant
- - Prioritize your clients more effectively and work with realistic timelines
- - Have a consultant work with you to more effectively manage your growth
- - Work with a professional organizer
- - Hire another employee
- - Collaborate with people in your industry to learn best practices
- - Work with a coach
The point is, you need to take action.
From my experience, there are 2 major reasons entrepreneurs find it difficult to grow. (1) They believe their quality of work will suffer as they become more stretched. And (2) Getting external help can be a financial risk. I encourage you to think beyond this. The more you delegate to others so that more of your time can be spent doing your unique ability, even if this delegation involves a cost, the more successful your business will become. Because, when you are doing your unique ability you are providing value. And the more value you provide the more revenue you will generate (not to mention the more fun you will be having at the same time). So, I encourage you to focus on your unique ability. Break the cycle and spend more time in this element of your business.
And I ask you…how could this impact your business?
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