Are you working ON your business, or IN it?

Let your enterprise work for you, not you for it!
I meet many people engaged in their own enterprises, and it’s striking how there
is a clear divide between those whose lives are controlled by their business, and
those who have learned to control it to their advantage.
The first group are often no more than employees who happen to be their own
boss, whereas the latter enjoy the freedom and wealth which flows from being in
charge of a successful venture.
Here’s a 6-point self-test to decide which group you fall into –
1: Are you working more hours with fewer holidays than any of your staff? If yes,
the business is running you, and you are merely working IN it. Get to work ON it,
and you will find ways to accomplish your goals and still have time for a normal
social and family life.
2: Does everything go wrong when you’re not there? If yes, you need to create
systems and processes which function entirely without your input, and then
delegate their operation to others. Success in this area is a sure sign you’re
getting to work ON your business.
3: Are you constantly juggling cashflow to pay unexpected bills or last-minute
demands? If so, you have probably been focussing on small urgent tasks instead
of sitting back and planning the big important things, and are too busy earning a
living to make any money!
4: Do you have customers who will only deal directly with you? Worse, do you
believe they will only ever deal with you? If that’s you, you need to be working
ON your business, and educate your customers to buy from others in the
company, leaving you free to focus on strategic planning and growth.
5: Is your office door “always open”? Does all your staff come to you for advice
and clearance on everything? If so, you need to break the dependency culture and
empower them to think for themselves. You’ll get far more out of your people, and
free up your time to plan for the future.
6: Do you work to a business plan, with clear, measurable goals? Do you review
and amend it regularly based on actual results? If you’re not planning where your
company is going for at least the next 3 years, that’s a clear marker that you are
only working IN it, not ON it!
Thanks to Khawar Hussain from Business Link for the inspiration on this topic.
Have a question you'd like to Jon to address? You can submit it by either adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com