Launching a small business is exhilarating… at first. But for most, the honeymoon is short-lived, replaced with long days of firefighting and diving catches.
These people aspire to create a business, but what most create and take on is multiple jobs: owner, executive, marketer, sales person, operations manager, bookkeeper, and expert maker/doer. It’s no wonder so many small business owners are exhausted!
To create more than a job, we need to see the business differently. We need to see it as something that runs on its own—separate and distinct from us.
To build such a business, we need to learn the ways of The Strategic Visionary, The Doer, & The Systems Specialist.
1) The Strategic Visionary
The Strategic Visionary sees how the business makes the world a better place (the vision), wins over hearts & minds with why it matters, and concisely conveys how to make it a happen (the big mission). The Strategic Visionary’s passion is contagious and attracts people to the cause. It’s inspirational.
2) The Doer
The Doer gets things done. The Doer focuses on the needs of today, works hard, and especially loves doing the work that directly helps people.
3) The Systems Specialist
The Systems Specialist partners with The Doer to amplify The Doer’s effectiveness by figuring out how to replicate outcomes—empowering employees to see & do the right thing. The Systems Specialist sees the business as a structure of cooperative systems—a symphony of business effectiveness.
The typical small business owner is a Doer, with a dash of Strategic Visionary. The Doer is in charge, and is entirely focused on the day-to-day doing—working long hours to get more done. Unfortunately, there’s not much time or energy left for figuring out how to move forward (toward the vision) or amplify effectiveness. This is why so many small business owners believe they need to do everything themselves, and as a result, believe their income growth is tied to the hours they put in (a vicious cycle that eventually kills the business). It’s a tragedy, because the real problem is a skills gap. By dedicating a little time to learning the right skills, the owner would soon be marveling at business growth that’s happening independent of their hours—working smarter, not harder.
Seeing the business as separate from us—a structure of cooperative systems—is the key. And if it’s to reach its full potential, we must learn how to work ON it, not IN it. We must learn the ways of The Strategic Visionary, The Doer, AND The Systems Specialist.
Seeing the gap is the first step, but it’s difficult to see where to go from there; there are literally dozens of books, courses, workshops, and coaches available.
Personally, I’m a huge fan of guided, just-in-time learning. Getting help with real-time challenges from someone who’s walked the path is simply the most efficient way to learn. It’s why I hired a coach to help me launch my business, and why I’m proud to now be doing the same for others.
Photo by Aron Visuals
