From the Mag: Think Who Not How
It’s hard work running and growing a business with a small team, and if you’re trying to do most everything yourself, it’s even more challenging.
Spreading yourself too thin by attempting to handle every task is just not sustainable and will hinder the growth of your aftermarket shop. All the ongoing customer requests, projects, invoicing, staff needs, parts searches, etc., as well as keeping the work coming in by growing and optimizing your online presence, marketing and networking, will eventually wear you out, if it hasn’t already.
If you’re trying to do everything yourself all the time or with a limited team, you won’t be able to grow your business as fast as your competition. In the end you’ll just burn yourself out.
A Natural Reaction
It’s only natural for small business owners to want to control all aspects of their company. When you first started your shop, you probably had to do everything yourself, because that’s all you had.
But, as you slowly grow, attract more customers, generate more profit and start becoming a well-known shop, it’s important to recognize that you don’t have to do everything yourself.
In fact, you’ll find over time that trying to do it all yourself becomes very inefficient and unproductive, especially when it comes to tasks you know you need to do to be successful but either hate to do or that aren’t your specialty.
So, if you’re sitting there staring at all the projects you have going on, along with the marketing and back-office work that’s possible piling up, and wondering how you’re going to take care of it all and also find time to grow your business—STOP!
Don’t think about the HOW; think about the WHO. Who can you get to help you with this work?
(I’m sure some of you are think, No kidding!? I already know this, but with the current state of the industry it’s almost impossible to find quality new employees to fill our current openings. Please read on, as we’ll be discussing options that you might not have thought of, didn’t know were available or thought were too costly.)
Gaining Efficiency by the Book
Who Not How: The Formula to Achieve Bigger Goals Through Accelerating Teamwork is a fantastic book written by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy that helps readers ask the important question, who can help me achieve this?
When we’re faced with a decision, a challenge or a complex task, we always stop and ask ourselves how will I do this? rather than who can help me with this? What would happen in your life if you asked this question about everything you wanted to accomplish? What would happen if you asked this question about everything you’ve been putting off doing?
Click here to read the full article in the August issue of THE SHOP
