If you’re stuck constantly working in your business—teaching classes, answering phones, cleaning the office, invoicing clients, etc.—your business will reach a plateau and stop growing. There are only 24 hours in a day and if you want to expand your business, you physically can’t do everything that’s required without help.
Working in your business means nothing more than getting core jobs done. Working on your business means implementing systems, strategies and goals so you can grow your business, improve performance and replicate your success.
For most business owners, letting go of the core jobs is the hardest part, especially if you really enjoy them. Trusting another individual with any aspect of your business (your baby!) feels unnatural, but is absolutely essential for growth.
Working on your business: Step-by-step
If you’re not sure where to start, consider these questions…
- Which jobs do you like the least? Do you love teaching classes but hate admin and marketing? Perhaps you love marketing and teaching, but customer service drives you crazy. Maybe you can handle teaching 2-3 classes per week, but any extra teaching drains your motivation. If you’re feeling drained or frustrated by particular jobs, these are the perfect jobs to handball to someone else!
- Which jobs are you least good at?
- Which jobs absorb most of your time?
Take action!
- Write down one key strategic activity you wish you had time to work on.
- Write down 2-3 core activities which you can assign to someone else, thereby freeing up time for the above. For each activity, make bullet points to describe the jobs that need to be done (job description).
- Make a list of people you know may be able to help in your business. Perhaps you can hire a friend or family member to help you with admin tasks or cleaning.
- Tell people you’re looking for staff.
- If you’ve never employed people before, make an effort to educate yourself on the legalities.
- Alternatively, if you’d prefer not to employ anyone, consider hiring contractors—instructors, admin assistants, phone answering services, bookkeepers, cleaners, etc.
- Before this week ends, make an effort to advertise for help. This can be as simple as sharing a Facebook post amongst your friends or community group, or as formal as paying for a job advertisement. However you approach it, just do it!
Imagine the freedom & lifestyle of a business that runs without you! Imagine having a team to support you, not just a bunch of employees. We can help you put the systems in place to make it possible. If you’re ready for a breakthrough, become a TIMA member today.
Join us at www.tima.com.au.
Graham McDonnell and Phil Britten are Directors of the WA Institute of Martial Arts, one of Australia’s leading martial arts providers servicing over 1,500 clients over three locations with their world class programs. In addition to running successful martial arts schools, they have also established The Institute of Martial Arts (TIMA), offering business coaching and learning programs to help other martial arts businesses plan and develop for success.