The trouble facing most business people is they start a business to make money.
They need to pay a mortgage, or buy groceries – so they do what they can to bring the folding stuff through the door.
There’s nothing wrong with this. I like the mindset. There’s a little entrepreneur in every business owner. Hat’s off to all of them for taking the leap.
Here’s the thing about leaping though. Once you start working, most times you have to keep working (and here I pause to thank all my clients for keeping me working – I genuinely, and very much, appreciate the trust and the patronage).
And, if you’re working – having leapt off the cliff, you’re usually so busy staying off the ground that you don’t have time to improve the plane. So busy in the business you don’t have time to work on the business.
The fortunate ones start a business around something they’re passionate about – or something they’re good at. Very few start with a vision – or a purpose (oh, we say we do, but usually it’s only when we’ve got enough business to stay in business do we start figuring out where the plane is going).
Those who start with a purpose – to build a more usable frying pan, to market only to women, to print books without killing trees – often have the chance to build the plane before the business starts to take off. They can get a website that functions – a site that ties everything up in a very sticky bow – they have their sales patter down, their front line folk have downed the Kool-Aid and the back end bods are being supportive in a very brand-centric way. While it’s hard work to set this all up – it’s easier to do it before you have customers to deal with.
For those who are busy flying a business (feeling like the seat of your pants is getting a little thin) – flapping their arms and looking to build a better plane – here’s a few things I’ve discovered that might help.
Get an expert to help. From amalgamating your digital footprint to defining your brand position to re-engineering your supply chain – unless it’s what you’re good at anyway, get some help. As much as you can do it all yourself (and you can) it’s a waste of your time. It’s micro-management (a good habit to get out of if you’re leading the company). And it’s counter-productive. Think of this equation.
(Money for expert)<(Time you’d spend doing it) x (Cost of your time).
And, having someone else do it means you have someone to call who understands how to fix things if they break down (nothing lasts forever) – which usually happens when you’re up to your bum in alligators.
A small change is better than none at all. Don’t wait for the big picture to fall into place. This article by Entrepreneur – http://tinyurl.com/ks2tfd – describes it more fully. Long story short – better to make a thousand small changes than wait for the big one. It’ll make your people feel better about working with you. And can make your business more profitable.
Don’t be afraid to change direction If, in the process of looking for ways to improve the plane, you discover a better destination – seriously consider it. (You need to sleep on it a little – sometimes it just feels good because it’s different.) It’s your life – they’re your days. better be doing something that gives you a welcome challenge than martyring yourself to a business you don’t care about any more.
Be prepared for a dip Take the metaphor a little more literally. If you’re cruising at 10,000 feet and you decide to put in a better engine (swap your old people for new people) or install bigger wings (add a digital arm or another outlet) there’s a time when you’ll be cruising downwards (it may even feel like spiraling – stay brave, you’ll come through this) before the new engine kicks in and truly gets up to speed. You’ll lose altitude – but you’ll be better placed to get ahead faster.
Plan the change. It should be self-evident. But I’ve worked for people who just went ahead and did it – and crashed. Even better – find someone to manage the process. A second brain on the job can often see the things you’re missing – because you’re too busy keeping the plane level.
Understand why you’re building the plane. A good friend of mine built his business up – he’s an architect. Spent a lot of time building his plane. Spent a lot more time re-modeling his plane. Spent all his spare time getting it great. Then discovered he didn’t want to pilot it. So he sold it. Sold the business. Made some good money – but, as he said, “It almost killed me – I was weeks away from being another dead millionaire.” And went back to running his own small practice. And he’s loving it.
That’s the thing about planes.
Not everyone needs a jet. But, whichever one suits you, you just need to be able to keep it airborne.
This has been your captain. Thank you for your attention. The crew will be coming through the cabin shortly with refreshments.
