How to work on your business, not in it?

Let’s start this post with some truth, which may or may not feel radical for you. Your business is not your life. 

Maybe it feels like it is. You spend long hours either with patients, or tapping away on a laptop managing the books. You’re tired and sometimes it feels like all you do is work. Or maybe you’re on the reverse side of this coin. Your business excites you and you’re passionate about it so the hours don’t feel like an issue. You like to be in every part of the business, and control is something that’s sometimes hard to let go of. Your business is your baby, and you love it. 

Let’s say it again. Your business is your life. Your business is not your baby. 

To have sustainable success in small business, understanding those truths is key. Your life and business are two separate things. It can be hard to remember this when you’re busy, but take the time to remind yourself now. 

Your personal self-worth is not determined by business success or failure. Business is hard and filled with ups and downs. Linking yourself too closely with your business isn’t healthy and sets yourself up for a lot of angst. You do not exist, to serve your business. Your business has the purpose to serve you and your clients. 

So how do we make this shift, to working on our business, rather than in it?

Try to think of the business as a separate entity from yourself. This mindset can help you focus on the details that will make it work for you. Don’t think of it as a job, but place yourself back in control of your business. It exists, for you not the other way around. 

There are also a few questions you might like to ask yourself. This will help to make the distinction between yourself and your business. 

• How can your business work, without you?
• How can your employees work, without you needing to supervise them?
• How could you get your business organised well enough that it could be easily replicated?
• How can you own your business, yet not feel tied down by it?
• How could you free up your time more, to do what you love rather than what you’re obliged to do?

You may find that you don’t know the answers to these questions. And that’s okay. By asking them you’re beginning to realise that you need to be willing to adjust your view on your business. Remain objective when considering what changes you may need to make. Discover the gaps in your business learning and work toward fixing them. So that you have answers to the above questions, and can see your business as separate to you.

Once you’ve identified these areas, commit to finding out what you need to do to fill in the gaps. Maybe it’s enrolling in a course, or discussing with a business advisor. Remember that your business is not just a job that you’ve created for yourself. It’s a separate entity that should be able to achieve success with or without you. 

It can be hard to let go of your business as encompassing so much of your identity, but it’s necessary. By doing so, you’ll gain the freedom that you were likely seeking when you first started your business.