I talk about this a lot. We are referring to the term that was coined by Michael Gerber of the E-Myth book, which is where it all started for me.
But the fact is that I run 4 multiple e-commerce websites that only sell to customers in the UK. We have a full warehouse, staff, and other things.
So, to be able to be in Vancouver which is 5,000 miles away from my home and businesses, is a testament to how it is possible to work ON your business instead of IN it.
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The things that I do relating to my business are things to help it grow.
For example —
I am working on some questions and things right now for a consultant that I will be meeting when I get back to the UK. We are going to discuss a new style of marketing that we are going to test out.
We have some goals that we have set aside to help build some sales grades in the business.
That is what I do. I don’t deal with phone calls, I don’t deal with suppliers or anything like that. I have staff who handle these tasks for me.
For you and your business, I would like you to have the same. Now, before you say, “Well yeah Jon, it’s easy for you!”, I can tell you that when I started, I was doing every single thing myself.
Don’t give me the “I don’t have the time Jon. You have made loads of money of course you can do it” speech.
It was at that point that I made the decision that I could not go on like this. After telling a customer while at a conference that I would handle their shipment when I got back home, I knew some things had to change.
And you do too, don’t you?
So here is what you need to do. This is not going to happen overnight so pace yourself.
Have Some Goals
You must know what you are planning to do. You don’t have to go over the top or be so drastic with it. You just need to start setting goals — no need to wait until January.
Just set some goals of what you want to do in the next 3 months. It might be to plan out a strategy to start working on my business instead of in my business.
Reverse Engineer Your Goals
So let’s say that you set goals for the next 3 months, take one of them and break it down.
You can say ‘We are here now, but we want to be there.” So let’s step that back and figure out where you need to be at the end of each month and then figure out what needs to happen to get that done.
Break it down into things and then break it down into tasks to get things done.
These can go on a wait list or to do list where you can’t see it.
Here is the beauty of it — each day you choose maybe two things to get you closer to the goal. Those things on your to do list should be important things getting you to your end result — not things like pick up the kids at 3 or get more coffee.
This is stuff to progress your business forward. These are not routine things.
I say two things, but you might say three. Once you do the two, you can always look for other things but three might be too many.
The thing is — you need to accomplish those TWO things BEFORE you do anything else at work. This includes answering emails, returning phone calls, etc. Do just those two things.
These tasks shouldn’t take forever, but they should be serious and important.
Don’t Look at Emails First Thing in the Morning
Okay this is a big one. Never ever look at emails when you get up in the morning. Not on your phone, not on your computer or your tablet — nothing.
Even if you are commuting to work on a bus or a train. It’s not the point of ruining your day, but it is what it does to you in the process.
People will demand things of you. Back in the day before smart phones and stuff, they had to wait for answer so when they are demanding something right now, don’t give it to them because they are setting your agenda.
Wait until you have done your to do list and then answer emails or simply say to yourself, “I am not answering emails til 12:00”. You do not have to tell anyone.
If it is urgent or life or death, they will phone or text you.
You Need to Replace Yourself
Now, you are doing everything so you need to replace yourself. You are every piece of your business — the accountant, the secretary, the packer, the shipper — everything.
And while you may not have the money to do it all at one time, you need to start replacing yourself bit by bit as you can afford it.
Don’t fall for the bit “I can’t afford it” — you can’t afford not to.
Start by taking a risk and hiring someone — even if it is part time. You can even forfeit a bit of your salary to hire someone.
Stop smoking, stop buying coffees, stop going out to eat all the time. You can afford it bit by bit. If you are trying to build a business then get serious because this is not a hobby.
Also if you are doing things over and over and over again, find ways to automate your system. There are tools that will automate things for you. Find them out.
Monday Book Recommendation
Today is Monday and that means that it is time for a book for the week. It is The Pumpkin Plan by Mike Michalowicz.
This is a great book. Basically he thought about in growing his business, he thought this guy who devoted all his time to growing big pumpkins.
He figured out how to weed out the little ones, and work on growing those ginormous pumpkins.
A process works every single time and Mike figured out how to use it in his business and make it work.
Read it and let me know what you think. I will be back with you tomorrow for more exciting tips and tricks.