Working On Your Business Not In It.
Starting and growing a business in the UK is no small feat. In fact, if most business owners understood the difficulties beforehand, they’d probably never start! We employers go against the grain, carry on despite our family members saying, ‘Are you crazy?’ and we push, shove, and force our way down a bumpy path of growth. Things at first are a massive struggle but over time the profits start to come in and new employees lighten the load.
The whole journey of business creation and growth is amazing. There are times of elation – like landing the first big client and times of woe – like when the economy threatens to smoulder out the fire of success. There are ups and downs. Good ideas and bad. Successes and failures. But we business owners keep on keeping on because we’ve learned that through tenacity and hard work rewards will come.
The unfortunate thing is, however, in all our zest for world (or local) domination we often lose sight as to why we created our business and what we wanted from it. Furthermore, we fail to notice the signs that we’ve changed and want something different or something more.
For over six years I had my head down working, working and working. Even my dreams consisted of management reports, new marketing strategies and ways to crack my latest HR nightmare. I became so caught up in making the business a success that I didn’t even realise how successful it actually was. A sense of balance was long lost and I forgot why I was doing what I was doing.
Like many others out there, I created a successful business however I failed to create a successful life. Instead of working on the business I became an expert at working in the business. The larger we grew, the heavier my load felt. I kept doing what I had always been doing because I didn’t realise any other option. You don’t know what you don’t know.
Fortunately, my business partner enabled me to exit by purchasing my shares. I was too far gone to be salvaged. At the time I had decided that I had to get out and out I went. However, in hindsight I’ve realised quite a few things. We business owners don’t enter a business with our exit in mind. We don’t always carve out a business that supports a lifestyle that makes us happy. We work so hard to get things going that once they’re going we just keep working hard. Knowing what I know now, I can see that I kept doing the things I felt I had to do despite the fact that they made me insane. I didn’t have to carry on working in my business – I could have worked on my business.
Whether you’re fed up like I was and are selling your business or your simply tired of the same old grind, working on your business not in it will enable your journey to change for the better.
To pull yourself out of the day-to-day hum drum there are few quick things you can do to get started. Consider going on a business growth course, hiring a growth consultant/non-executive or join a networking group focused on top level strategy.
If you need a helping hand, send me an email letting me know what you’re after and I’ll give you the details of my recommendations. Email me at: Kim@BusinessWand.com
Kim Brown, Co-Founder of Business Wand, helps business owners navigate their way through the start to finish process of selling a business. Her specialty is to help owners cut costs and increase profits prior to sale. To understand how you can sell your business quickly for the highest sales price, purchase the book, “How To Sell A Business: The #1 guide to maximising your company value and achieving a quick business sale”