skill, but the transition to growing based on other people’s hard He didn’t have any senior staff that could perform anywhere close
work and skill is a challenge.
to his level of skill. His business was also barely making the $1M
mark – even with all those employees. What Michael needed
At one point or another, every business owner faces the same wasn’t more employees, it was a new approach.
difficulty. Moving from a business that isn’t much different than a
job, to owning a business that generates income without trading “I’m afraid that if I let go of the details, no one will do a good
time for dollars, or one that is based on the work of others, can enough job,” he said quietly. “But I realize now, I’ve never given
be difficult.
anyone the chance to try.” As he said this, I could hear the slight
embarrassment in his voice.
No matter what your business looks like or what industry you’re
in, the challenge in making this leap is the same. Most important Michael already had all the elements he needed. The problem was
to remember is that the shift has less to do with your business he hadn’t given his staff the opportunity to succeed or excel on
design and more to do with how you approach it.
their own. What he needed to do was give his team bigger tasks,
more responsibility, and the incentive to step up to the task.
There are certain critical elements that must be in place to
smoothly execute this transition. Below are three of the most By making this one simple change, he had the opportunity to
critical steps you need to take to get there.
hand off the work he’d been managing, while mentoring his team
so they could grow. Obviously, this wasn’t a short-term strategy,
Rethink Your Strategy
so the longer he delayed, the more difficult it became.
The leap Michael wanted to make was about more than just
having a successful business. He needed to build a business that Release Attachment
would thrive without his daily involvement. To do this, Michael Recognizing this strategy shift unlocked the second critical step
needed to rethink how he approached his business.
that Michael needed to make to stop trading his time for dollars.
He needed to let go of the little details.
He’d already successfully grown to a point where he had several
employees. He had 3 graphic designers, one web designer, a Michael had a habit of double checking and second guessing his
receptionist, and a business manager. The bulk of the business work staff. Periodically, it came up as a concern, but he’d usually just
was already being handled by his junior staff. The problem was ignore it, thinking his staff didn’t understand what he wanted
that he was still in charge of sales, design review, overall business them to do. Now he was recognizing that he’d put a heavy hand
strategy, and rallying the troops to get everything done on time. over them, expecting them to “comply” rather than “create” – the
specific task for which he’d hired them.
Evolve your
content in
2014 with
14
Evolution Magazine/ December 2013