Are you running your business, or is it running you?

When it comes to quality of life, there is a major irony in owning a small business.

If asked, most people will say one of the reasons they started their business was to have more freedom; to create their own working schedule.  The reality is, if you are successful, that freedom is lost because there are many other jobs that come with running your company which take large portions of your time.  This is the biggest complaint I hear when I’m working with a new client- they just can’t work any harder.

Maybe it’s time to start thinking above LEVERAGE.   Take some time to write down just how many hours various tasks take you to do.  What tasks could you delegate to other people, either staff members or independent contractors? Business administration functions can be given to a virtual admin who works at a per hour rate.  Calls for leads can be handled by outside sales professionals who work strictly on commission. Collections can be given to companies who do this best.    And of course, the area that takes the most time, accounting,  can also be leveraged to companies such as Quicksilver who can do all of it from their own office, saving you rent ,space, computers, insurance, etc.  

Then take the hours you get back and work a few of them into creating sales.  Now you have covered the cost of the outsourced agents, and still have a few hours left for yourself.  

A sign of good management is learning how to delegate the areas that won’t increase your sales, and maximizing the hours available for people who are best at selling your product or service.

I’ve planted the seed… now investigate if this idea could be what you need to run your business better.

Comments

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