business strategy

Business Leaders Make More Money and Have More Fun

Business ownership and business leadership are not synonyms. And let me tell you, you want to be a business leader!

Business owner: Someone that starts and runs a business.

Business leader: A business owner that steps into the role of leadership and is committed to building a fully functional company.

I meet a lot of business owners. It’s rare to meet someone that has achieved the business leader status. Here’s why.

1. Business owners get trapped in their day to day work. They fill their time with providing their primary service, or producing their primary product and basic sales.
2. Business owners take on all of the responsibility in the beginning of their business, and then hold on to too much of their responsibility as they grow. Everyone wears all hats when we get started. But how long have you been wearing all those hats?  I started hiring and training from the very beginning because I knew that my growth would stop as soon as I got maxed out with my time. My goal is to never be the bottle neck in my business.
3. Business owners shy away from doing things they don’t know how to do. Great companies innovate. Business leaders are always looking for better ways to do things. They are always learning more in and surrounding themselves with people who know how to do things they don’t know how to do.
4. Business owners chase trends and hope that it will produce better results. The newest app, the newest social media platform, the newest webinar platform. They are attempting to find something external that will propel change. Business leaders on the other hand put their energy into systems, building sales teams, getting the right people on the team who can move internal processes to the next level. And the trendy new technology is more like icing on the cake.
5. Business owners tend to carry a lot of pressure for the business success. Because their systems are not as strong, and often times they are trying to do too much on their own, they feel the weight of the business bearing down on their shoulders. Business leaders still feel the pressure to perform, but it is not so reliant on personal performance. It is more of a team effort.

As I have worked with thousands of business owners over the last few years, I’ve found that the transition from business owner to business leader happens in two phases. The first phase involves building the systems and structure. The second phase involves expanding and managing the team.

I also find that it takes time to make the transition. It will take a year of solid consistent effort to build all of the systems. And then it will take another 1-3 years of consistent effort as a team to produce the long term results.

And at the end of all that consistent work, you get the rewards of business leadership. You no longer worry if you are going to make money that month. You no longer stress about how you will pay your bills. You no longer have to work ridiculous hours to make sure everything comes together. And you don’t spend time doing jobs you wish you could pay someone else to do.

You get to spend your time in the areas of your business where you produce the most. You get to work at a more manageable pace that allows you to experience peace of mind and work/life balance.

Business leaders truly make the most money, and have the most fun!  For  more details:  http://amywalkerconsulting.com/