You Can’t do Everything.

The role of a business owner gets more complex by the day, and it is little wonder that many business owners find that by spreading themselves so thinly across all of the activities they need to accomplish each day, nothing ever gets done properly, or as quickly as is optimal for their business.

Many owners fall for the trap of trying to do everything themselves to keep costs down, but in reality, the cost to the business of the inefficiencies inherent in this approach, and the lack of necessary attention to the detail  in any business which inevitably results, will generally outweigh any savings expected by the business owner, in adopting this "one man band" approach.

In working with a client recently, I identified that as the business owner he was trying to perform at least 16 clearly identifiable key roles, many of which were measurably not the best use of his available time, and some were critical roles for which he was not all that well qualified, to perform.

In the best interests of the business, an owner should step back from attempting to be the jack of all trades and the master of none, and look at where specifically in the business their skill set and personality can be utilised to greatest advantage and for the greatest return, and delegate or outsource the remaining roles to others, or another entity, that can do what is required in far less time, more effectively, and at relatively lower cost, than the cost of the owners time in completing the particular role(s) themselves.

The issue of control and inability to delegate raises its ugly head time and time again when examining why, small business owners in particular, continue to beat their heads against a brick wall in trying to accomplish everything themselves, but at considerable cost to themselves, their families and their businesses.

In an earlier article, “Four Critical Business Roles”, I explored and discussed my view that it is a very rare individual who is capable of effectively performing all of the critical roles required to be performed in a SME business, and that one’s personality will to a high degree dictate the roles one can effectively perform, and which will positively contribute, to the expected outcomes for the business.

Where the business owner’s personality is not suited to one or more of the four critical roles which need to be performed on a daily basis, then the business will be facing an uphill battle to achieve any real level of success, and the business owner will constantly frustrated with his/her inability to achieve the outcomes desired, in the time frame available.

The answer is to recognise that “one man bands” generally run out of steam long before the businesses they operate grow to a level where they can be regarded as successful, sustainable businesses that are no longer reliant on the input of just one person, and take action now to make the most effective and productive use of your time, and pay others to perform the roles for which the business is paying a higher than necessary cost for you to perform.

Why do you continue to try to do everything yourself?

Do you have an inability to let go and an aversion to delegating or outsourcing?

Do you now understand that the cost of doing everything yourself is the future level of success of your business?