Want More Time Off?

Welcome back to the work week after a Thursday holiday that gave many people a four-day weekend.  It felt good, didn’t it? Wouldn’t it be great to feel that way all the time?

That type of feeling is something I hear about occasionally from small business owners when it comes to why they started their business.  That type of feeling is something I hear about constantly, though, from those who are looking to start a new business. A little more freedom and a lot more time off is part of the dream goal.

The fact that that falls off as a consideration among those who are already in the weeds is a telling thing. This decrease is not because those already in their business are so thrilled about what they do that they no longer want time off. Instead, it is because going into business for yourself is tough.

I do not want this to feel dire. Instead, I want this to be a call that you don’t have to do it all alone. Chances are you did not go to school for law. Chances are you never studied accounting. Chances are you find data entry tedious and maddening. Chances are you do not have a nuanced understanding of marketing. Okay, maybe you’re lucky and have some experience in one of these areas. So many small business owners, however, end up doing all these things and more. More … you know, like the thing you really wanted to do and make a business out of in the first place.

If you do all these things, you are putting yourself in a time crunch that will feel unmanageable, and possibly really is unmanageable for there are only so many hours in a day. Enlisting help, however, can feel impossible because most new businesses are also in a financial crunch. But if you don’t get help how are you ever going to get that extra time for yourself?

And sure, maybe you do not have enough funds to bring on an employee, but you probably have enough funds to put out a couple hundred dollars a month and get an outside company to help you in one of those areas. That then will give you more time you can put into other areas of the business, make more money, and then siphon off another of those areas to someone else. Eventually you may then be able to afford an employee who can take some of the load from multiple areas, and just imagine the time savings there.

The vision many have when they start their own business is singular – I am doing to do this. But let me say that the small businesses I work with that are the most successful are the ones who have more tasks being assigned to others. And it is very rewarding to be part of those “others” that is helping them succeed.

So hold onto how good that time off felt and don’t be afraid to make moves to help you get there. And know that we are there to help you out however we can along the way.

Warmly,

Josh Bousquet
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