Uh Oh, You… With a “Job”! Reality Bites.
February 11th, 2015 // 1:38 pm @ Scott Manning
I think, if I had to summarize into one sentence the biggest setback to success and the real obstacle that keeps most entrepreneurs from climbing over the hump and achieving momentum and consistent growth in their business is lack of definitive responsibilities.
My second thought would be most just don’t take this whole business thing seriously enough.
The reality is, it is a “job”, owning a business is a role and it brings responsibilities. You might have every single responsibility covered by other people and have no daily involvement, but most reading this, following me, it’s a pretty safe bet you are all in-the-trenches everyday working on something.
And there in lies the problem.
What is your definition of “something” what do you dedicate and focus your time, energy and effort on?
For some, it’s the ‘doing’ of the thing or the actual making of the money. This is the case for all highly paid professionals, my Doctors who generate $1,000-$5,000 an hour are usually the ones caring for the patients.
My time is mostly invested between cultivating relationships and delivering results. Both of those are “doing” things.
Being in business and working on your business are not as sexy as everyone makes them sound, at least not if you are doing them right.
No, you don’t really get to unplug altogether and leave it all behind and come back and it’s just the way it was when you left it, no you can’t take your eye off the ball and still hit homeruns or have any kind of hits.
You actually have to do work to make money.
There are of course ways to create leverage and that’s where the magic is, the multiplier, but leverage is only available to those who have build the foundation to their business in the first place.
Right now think about it.
Who is responsible for driving leads.
Who is responsible for making sales.
Who is responsible for delivery of value.
Who is responsible for creating ‘what’s next’.
Who is responsible for guiding the ship, laying out the plan, building the systems.
And so on and so forth.
Payments. Collections. Bills. Equipment. Training.
The list is of course long, complicated, complex and not able to be ignored.
All of this has to happen in your business.
The question is always WHAT SHOULD YOU BE DOING.
And how do you get to the place where others can do everything except what you are best at and what gives you the highest leverage and potential for growth and profitability.
Smart entrepreneurs focus on HOW TO GET THE MONEY, taking care of the most important things…new customers, customer conversion, experience, value, and growth (usually through expanding 1 and 2).
Not so smart people spend time ‘playing business’; mistaking ‘busy’ for ‘productive and profitable’ and not taking a disciplined approach to the getting of customers and the creation of opportunity.
I advise you to take a step back, get out a piece of paper and write out your job description, your roles, responsibilities, how you will determine your performance and accountability.
If you don’t first do this for you, who’s time is most valuable, who’s direction most critical, who’s effort has the greatest impact then you are building a business on unstable ground or more than likely not growing a real business at all.
Your role will morph, change, evolve over time and it should.
But.
Most entrepreneurs will never escape the core three pillars for all success and where all roads lead to money.
Marketing = New Leads, Prospects, Relationships, Customers
Sales = experience, value, conversion
Growth = leverage, multiplication, systems, what’s next
The person who is focused on anything other than these will stall out, go broke, be poor, frustrated, and die a miserable death of a business owner because nothing else matters.
How well are you taking care of your customers, now much money are they willing to pay you in exchange, and how many of them must you have to achieve your goals and grow your business.
Gosh. How simple making money really is.
You just have to get up and make sure the “something” you go to work on and the “something” you do everyday is the highest priorities that will drive results and further your vision, mission, passion, and purpose through your business.
Yes. You do have a job. Chances are you most certainly haven’t earned the right to be without the need to work and well paid, yet, although that’s the idea I suppose, wealth building through entrepreneurship is the greatest thing on earth, being your own boss, magical, and the beauty is you get to decide what your “job” is and best of all write your own paycheck.
Just don’t be fooled that you can show up whenever you want and still collect on it.
I say lead by example, set the tone, be the hardest working person you know in your company and yes the highest paid. The victim or entitlement mentality and owning your business don’t go together at all.
Some times the biggest thing holding you back is how you approach ‘this’ world you’ve chosen to live in and the deal with the job you’ve created for yourself.
It can be whatever you make it.
So know your role, make like a good boss and kick yourself in the ass…and get to work!
Category : Blog
