How To Work On Your Business, Not In It

Most entrepreneurs are freelancers. We work for ourselves, but we actually do all of the work. We get so used to the DIY we end up believing that no one else could ever do what we do, at least not very well.

First of all, that’s a fairy tale. As awesome as you are, you are not the ONLY person on the planet who can take out the trash. More importantly, you’re killing your chances for success. Doing all the work simply isn’t scalable.

If you’ve got big dreams for your company you need to start working ON the business, not IN the business. You can accomplish this by building systems that enable other people to perform tasks you would normally handle solo.

Here are the steps:

1.    You’ve Got to Believe – Believing you can do it is the foundation for success. If you believe you can’t come up with a system that takes you out of the equation, than you won’t. If you believe you can do it, you will do it.

2.    Understand the Task – First, do the task as you normally would—all by yourself. Then, document the task. Break it down into steps.

3.    Convert to Repeatable Systems – Tackle the easiest stuff first. For example, could you convert a written fill-in form to an easy-to-use spreadsheet? Next, focus on the time-consuming tasks. If you get stuck, pretend it’s a game, or that your life depends on it—anything to get you to think outside the box.

4.    Hand it Off – Assign the task to an employee or a friend, someone who has never done it before. Two people will give you a better sense of what works. Observe how they perform the task, but don’t interfere. If the task is completed without a hitch, you’re good. If not, your system needs improvement. (In other words, it’s you, not them.)

5.    Master It – Repeat the steps until someone can perform the task effectively from with minimal training. McDonald’s does it, I did it with my forensics company, and you can do it too.

Look, if you’re doing all the work now because you think it’s the only option, chances are you’ll be doing all the work forever. And if you want to go global, go public, or go to the Caribbean on that fat buyout, you’ve got to make it possible for other people to do the work. You may be a TPE, but you’re also a visionary—remember?

By Mike Michalowicz, Author of The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur

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