Business success and the lifestyle you are looking for do not happen by chance. They are a result of intentionally moving your business through the four stages: The Grind, Delegation, Sweet Spot and Transition. Here is a look at the joys and challenges of stage 1: The Grind.
Every business owner experiences this stage and some stay here their whole career. You know everything about your business and, if you have a few employees, they need you constantly. You ARE the business.
The joy of this stage is that you have control. Nothing happens that you don’t know about, problems are solved your way and clients are served with the care and attention that only an owner can provide.
The challenge of this stage is that you are only one person and there are only twenty-four hours in a day. You are the cap that is keeping your business from helping more people and making more money.
Are you really running your business or is your business running you? Are you really solving the problems of your business the best way they can be solved or are you waiting too long and putting band-aids on problems because you don’t have time to get to the root?
The lie that business owners believe at this stage (and the reason why many owners don’t move past this stage) is that they are the best at every position in their business.
The danger of this stage is that the owner will miss reaching their business potential or burn out.
Do you own a business or a job? A plumber who is on the tools daily is really performing the work of an employee – with the added responsibility of a business. This person claims to have no boss but in reality, all of his customers are his boss. He owns his job.
Contrast this with a plumber who spends his days working ON his business instead of IN it. He is trouble-shooting major problems and planning the future direction of his company. He has time to think and he owns an organization that can get the work done without him.
If you are in The Grind, consider whether or not you want to own your job or own a business. If you want to own a business, you will have to do the hard work necessary to move it to the delegation stage. The next article will discuss how to make this move so you can keep your business progressing toward achieving your goals and reaching your destination.