There is no one way to grow and build a business successfully. We all bring our unique strengths and styles to the process.
For some the route to success is looking at the big picture, setting goals, objectives and putting a structure in place so that it can be measured and analyzed to determine how well you are doing.
With others, their business plan is likely on a napkin, more a concept they dreamed up and have intuitively pursued with creativity and passion.
And then there are those who have a passion for what they do, instinctively know what their customers want and set about delivering it, but who don't look at the long term vision because they are too busy in the trenches making it happen.
Which are you?
I have to confess that I belong in the last group but I know that I need to spend more time focusing on the business, rather than in the business, if I want it to grow.
I've always been hands-on which can make delegation difficult. I remember years ago aspiring to be the manager where I worked, and at times I would get that opportunity when the manager was away and I was assigned her responsibilities.
I quickly came to realize that overseeing other people and their work was not for me. I was entrepreneurial even back then, and just wanted to be left alone, uninterrupted to get on with my creative activities -- mainly designing practical programs for women.
But I guess at some time we do have to grow up and learn to do stuff we don't like. Avoidance isn't the answer -- that head-in-the-sand approach -- it doesn't move you forward, professionally or personally.
So what is the answer? First I am setting aside time each week to just focus on the big picture. I am determined to channel my creativity to eke out a future for myself, and the business that is both innovative and progressive. By tapping to my creative side, I am taking it away from the heavy analytical chore that would feel like a trap and bore me from the get-go. I guess the key is to know yourself.
Second, I am going to look at what I can delegate and pass on to someone else, or just forgo all together. This would free up my time so I can get a better handle on what works and what it will take to grow the business.
Right now if someone was to ask me which of my programs was most successful, I would be quick to say the most popular, however, that does not necessarily equate to the most profitable.
After 10 years in business, I suddenly feel like one of the women in my newbie groups. I am definitely a work in progress as I put on my big girl pants and tackle the aspects of my business that I have preferred to ignore.