Did you become self-employed so you could work all the time? Most people would say no. But when you realize you swapped your 9-5 for a 24/7, it’s not fun. Evenings and weekends have become fair game. Everyone in your team is reliant on you. Clients want you on every call. You’re not sure this is what you signed up for, and you’re not sure how to stop it happening.
Is your business more work than it needs to be? Apply these 5 quick wins to make it run without you. Total passive income might not be your goal, but with some smart decisions you can get closer. You can stop the nonessential filling up your schedule, and clear more space for magic.
How to make your business self-sufficient: 5 quick steps
Write your future list
You know what’s going on is not sustainable, but what’s the dream you want to live? Define it. Write a list of what your dream week in business looks like. What meetings do you have, what work do you do? How do you spend each morning and afternoon? You have to know what the goal looks like before you can make it happen.
When your future list is defined, dig into the gap. Who are the people you need to hire, what’s the software you need to buy and the boundaries you need to have? Find the quick wins and take action today. You could be a few decisions away from a completely different business and a completely different you.
Make an email autoresponder
You probably get more emails than necessary. Most of us do. Rather than google the answer or apply trial and error, someone is emailing you to ask and taking up your time. Or they’re trying to sell you something. Your business will not run without you if your inbox is a bottleneck. So stop that happening.
Create an all-encompassing autoresponder that frees people up to take the next step. Explain that you’re checking email less frequently and probably won’t get back to them soon. Include links, information and reference other people who can get them answers faster than you. Ensure they have sent you all the information you need, for when you do get round to responding. Once they know emailing you isn’t a quick win, they’ll be more self-sufficient. Then you can batch responses and reply in one go.
Book a dream trip
When my business wouldn’t run without me, I made a drastic move. I booked a five week trip to Australia, three months into the future. I gave myself a deadline to systemize my business as much as possible. Nothing inspires action more than an upcoming flight, that you know you’re not going to miss.
All of a sudden you’ll be questioning what needs to be done by you and what someone else could take over. You’ll be making SOPs, training new suppliers and freeing yourself of things you should have handed over a long time ago. By the time you get on that flight you’ll have a completely different business. Book it now, see what happens.
Empower a team member
Someone in your business wants more responsibility. Not only that, but they are really good. Conscientious, diligent and a keen eye for detail. They care about your customers and reputation. Identify that person. Give them more to do and watch them level up. Delegate, empower, and promote them accordingly.
When you have dependable team members, you’ll wonder how you ever functioned without them. When you don’t have dependable team members, you’re probably not functioning at all. Book a meeting with your best employee and develop them until they’re thriving without any input from you. The sooner you train and trust, the sooner you free up your time.
Be less available
Your business doesn’t run without you because deep down, you don’t want it to. You like feeling important. You like the thrill of answering a question. You buzz with pride when you can solve a problem that flummoxes everyone else. Get over that.
Being too available is costing the resourcefulness of your team members. When you’re always around, they don’t think for themselves. They don’t need to. You’re creating a dependency on you that only gets stronger over time. Take time out. Work from home. Start this afternoon. Turn off Slack. Be offline for scheduled time periods and let your best people show you what they can do.
Make your business run without you: follow this guide
Don’t create an asset that’s really a liability. Build an empire that doesn’t cost your soul. Write your future list to define your version of success, then work on filling the gap as soon as you can. Make an email autoresponder, book a dream trip, and empower a team member to get things off your plate. Be less available and see what they can achieve. If your business relies on you, you’re trapped in your role. When you can operate with freedom, you can achieve way more.
Read the full article here
