Doing the Things That Work

While it may seem a bit backwards to begin at the beginning of your business, it helps put things in perspective. Remember the first two weeks of opening the doors of your business, and you were so excited you told everyone about your vision and you make $12,000 in sales? Okay, that may not be your story, but it holds true for me. My husband was more excited then about my success than I've ever seen him. He was willing to get on all fours and help me scrub the floors if necessary. So what happened?

After the initial excitement of business, we often get caught up in the daily operations that don't necessarily produce anything, they just make our business life a little easier. I spent lots of hours developing an employee handbook, that included all the necessary bells and whistles from paid family and medical leave to fraternization policies. I created the perfect vision statement, forms for new employees to fill out, etc. It took me well over 6 months to create these items, as some I wasn't aware I would need them until I crossed that bridge. The problem is, for six months I failed to market my business, some calls went unanswered during the months my assistant returned to college, and all the arduous form creating work had killed the original passion I once had for my business so I wasn't telling anyone about what I did. 

I had to find the middle ground, and quickly. While the forms are necessary (and every entrepreneur can relate) it takes time away from GROW-ing the business. I designed my own websites, brochures and business cards. I handled my own marketing, and when my business did produce income it always went on making payroll and bills so there was never a reinvestment into the business to facilitate growth. I was digging myself into a deeper whole and beginning to forget why I went into business to begin with. 

As a consultant, I know exactly what is necessary to further develop my business, but am often too close to see what needs to happen. Business owners hire me to help them with areas they may be lacking in, or simply so they can take a step back and continue to grow their business. It is easy to get caught up in believing that hired help is just another bill, but they are often just the support we needed. If you cannot duplicate yourself in your business to hire someone to do exactly what you do so you can continue the vision of the business, then hire someone to support your role. Volunteers and interns can also be useful. Whatever you do, do it soon so that you can get back to the passion that drove you in your business and produced results.