Are You Running Your Business or Is It Running You?

If you’re running ragged and feeling like you’re at the mercy of your business, then your business is running you.

​Before you go off in a huff, here are some signs that your business might be the one in charge:

• You don’t think you can take any time off, whether it’s an afternoon or a whole two weeks.
• You frequently start sentences with, “I have to ________.”
• You also frequently say, “I’ll just do it myself. It will be faster and easier.”
• You have no help, no VA, no team. And you say the main reason you can’t get help is because it will take too long to train someone else to do it.
• You don’t have a clear sense of your numbers: how much is coming in, and how much is going out.
• You think in terms of “I can’t afford it” or “My business isn’t making enough money.”
• You think you’re supposed to know how to do everything.
• You react in the moment – on a daily basis. You respond to emails that came in this morning, you do the client work before your own, you write the promotional email that’s supposed to go out today.

You do know that it’s not supposed to be that way, right?

You probably started your business for all sorts of reasons, and they probably all have something to do with freedom and flexibility. Freedom to run your business the way you want. Flexibility to work when you want. Freedom to travel and provide wonderful things for yourself and your family. Flexibility to do only your Zone of Genius work and let someone else do the work in the other zones.

And most business owners and entrepreneurs get to the point where they feel chained to their business, more so than at any corporate job they ever had. So, if that’s you, just know you’re not alone.

AND… you have a choice. You can do things differently.

You can run your business, instead of it running you. Here’s what that looks like:

• You take time for yourself and your family. Your business works around you.
• You have support in the form of a VA or a team.
• You have systems in your business, and, better yet, many things are automated and running behind the scenes.
• You do not do everything yourself. (See the two points above.)
• You pay attention to your business and the story your numbers tell you (revenue, expenses, key performance indicators).
• When you budget or spend money, you think in terms of investment and moving the business forward. That puts a completely different spin on expenses.
• You have a coach, mentor, mastermind, or accountability buddy – or all of the above. You know you can’t do this all by yourself.
• You plan ahead and think in terms of the big picture. You are proactive, and not reactive. You work on your priorities before you react and respond.

So, how do you move from your business bossing you around, to your being the boss?

Part of it is mindset. You have to choose to be in charge. You have to choose to make your business a part of your life, not the whole pie. Start taking time for yourself. Plan vacations. Don’t feel like you have to respond to an email within five minutes of receiving it.

The other part comes down to systems. That means you have to have systems. Next, is getting support, whether that’s a VA, team, coach, or mastermind. You have to do things differently, and you may need some guidance on how to implement the different ways of doing.

The result at the end of the rainbow? A business that serves you so that you can serve the world.