Picture this… you are making money, sales are higher than ever, and the clients are rolling in. Everything you have been working towards is finally coming true. Woo hoo!
But, to your surprise, it is beginning to feel like your business is sucking the life out of you. Strange things are starting to happen in your business that are causing you alarm:
- Instead of working less, you are now working 24/7 trying to get everything done, there is no light at the end of the tunnel, and you have no idea how you got yourself into this mess.
- You have those middle-of-the-night moments, waking up in a cold sweat thinking, “OMG, did X get done? Yikes! I don’t think it did…”
- You realize that a team member didn’t do something that you emailed them about a few days ago, and now YOU have to scramble to get it done on time.
- Because so many to-dos keep coming up at the last minute, your team is starting to get seriously frustrated with a seemingly constant flow of “Urgent, need this now!” requests, and they are threatening to leave.
- Your assistant is the only one who knows “how things are done around here,” and you feel trapped and worried that if she leaves, what happens then?
- You have a certain way that you want things to be done, but it seems like every time someone else on your team works on it, they do it wrong or miss key pieces.
- You aren’t sure where the money is, and have no way of knowing if payments are coming in on time (or not!).
- Sadly, your spouse and/or kids are asking you why you are working so much, and may even be begging you to turn off the computer for once so they can spend time with you.
The bottom line is that you are tired, frustrated, and starting to wonder what the heck you’ve gotten yourself into. Its one thing to GROW a business, but it’s another thing to RUN a business – which is what many of us are unprepared for.
This is what I call the Leaky Bucket Syndrome. We focus so much on getting more into the bucket (sales, marketing, and clients), but neglect to make sure that the bucket (behind the scenes of your biz) is whole and healthy.
The good news is this: ALL of these things can be solved with the right systems and team in place. Regardless of where you are in your business growth, with a bit of work and perseverance, this chaos, too, shall pass (even if it doesn’t feel like it right now).
You must purposely run your business or it will run you.
There are three key elements to running your business, what I call the Automate Your Growth™ Formula.
- You –As you grow your business you want to be crystal clear on your role, what you should (and should not) be doing and what it means to be a leader within your company.
- Systems – Strong business systems are the key to success and sanity in business. With automated systems in place, you are able to grow a business that will serve both you and your clients in the best way possible.
- Team – Regardless of the type of business you want, it’s impossible to do it all alone. But how do you know who you need to hire – and better yet, who not to hire? Where do you find great people, and how can you lead a great team?
With these three elements in place you will have a solid foundation of growth for your business – one that allows you to expand exponentially AND have a business that you enjoy and doesn’t suck the life out of you.
Learn how to fix your leaky bucket in Tina’s new book The Entrepreneur’s Trap and learn how to stop working too much, take back your time and enjoy life! Or, visit her website at tinaforsyth.com.