Why Business Owners Need to Work ON Their Business and Not IN Their Business
Are you that entrepreneur or business owner that seems to be continuously busy not really achieving their goals? Do you sigh at the end of the day when you look at what you must still do? Perhaps it’s because you’re working in your business and not on your business. I’ll explain…
Megan started her small cooking business two years ago. At the time, she manned the entire business on her own. Sourcing clients, cooking, packing, distribution and invoicing. In the beginning, these tasks would only take up four hours per day, but as time went by and business grew, she started spending much more time in her office.
Soon enough, business started declining and Megan had no idea why. Does this story resonate with you? If it does, then you may be jeopardising your business without even realising it.
Working IN your business vs working ON your business
There are many business owners who fail to delegate tasks, understandably so because their business is their ‘baby’ and nobody can do the job with as much passion and attention to detail as they would. But if you’re going to grow, if you’re going to place your business above your competitors, delegation is key.
See, if Megan had delegated some of her tasks, she would not have had declining sales due to unhappy customers. When you’re trying to do everything yourself, you run the risk of paying little attention to customer service. Small things like responding to an email within 24 hours can help you grow your business.
If you are concerned about costs and can’t afford a permanent employee, consider hiring a Virtual Assistant. They are flexible employees who are paid by the hour or per project.
What can you delegate to a Virtual Assistant?
In the beginning, try delegating tasks that you hate doing because these are the tasks that take up much of your time. If you hate admin, delegate that to an assistant. If you hate selling, hire someone who can make the sales calls and pitches for you.
Here are other tasks you can delegate:
- Managing emails
- Email marketing
- Scheduling appointments and managing them
- Following up with clients
- Receptionist
- Calendar management
- Organizing online files
- Database building (e.g. Email lists)
- Research
- Personal errands
- Booking flights, hotels etc.
- Transcription
- Minutes of meetings
- Basic reporting
- Recruitment
- Managing Social Media Accounts
- Writing blogs or publishing blogs written by you
- Filter and reply to comments on your blog/website/social media
- Answering support tickets/ complaints
- Creating online marketing media (infographics, adverts, newsletters etc.)
Consider delegating some of your tasks. Go on, relinquish control. You may experience anxiety in the beginning but it will soon fade away after you find the right people to delegate to. How do you find the right people? Contact us for more information!
