Why you should WORK ON the business, versus IN the business!
Entrepreneurs have the tendency of trying to do it all. That is the entrepreneurial spirit, after all. Unfortunately, this can become a pattern – where you grind and grind until you’re either burned out or some unforeseen event forces you to step back and reevaluate.
For this story, let’s call that unforeseen event Coronavirus. And as the great wartime Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill once said, “never let a good crisis go to waste.”
Before we get personal – with our Staff Shop experience – it’s important to look at why working on your business as opposed to in your business is critical for growth and development. Many experts have weighed in on this topic over the years…
Here’s our winning picks for working ON the business, versus IN the business:
- According to leadership guru and coach extraordinaire, Rhett Power, you need to play to your strengths rather than try to do it all. “It’s pretty easy to micromanage everything. You may think that you can get things done better and more efficiently than anyone else. That might even be true, but all the time you are spending doing jobs that other people could be doing is time that you are not running your business.” (Rhett Power, Inc.com, April 6, 2015)
- Stepping back and being a leader rather than an employee really allows you to see the big picture. Staff Shop is guided by faith and that can mean having faith in ourselves and in our people. Melbourne-based business coach, Brett Burden wrote “This will allow you the time and headspace to develop and implement growth plans.” (Action Centre, October 16, 2017)
- You’ve spread your roots, it’s time to let go. There is a time in the infancy stage of any start-up where you have no choice but to wear all the hats. But once you’ve established yourself in your industry, you can let go. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way to grow. In an article for Forbes, writer Geri Stengel used consultant and CEO, Margery Kraus as an example. Kraus thinks of growing a business like parenting, “You teach basic values and let them go someday.” (Forbes, June 6, 2012)
- If you find the right people and train them, you can actually feel good about letting go of certain roles and responsibilities. You wouldn’t believe how much time and headspace this frees up! “Being able to delegate successfully and hire the staff that can get the job done, and do it well, is an art form in and of itself.” (Brett Burden)
- You can now set goals and create a plan for the future. When you work IN the business, you are focussed solely on the day-to-day operations. When you work ON the business, you look to the future and seize opportunities on the horizon.
Staff Shop worked ON the business this year
For us, it took a global pandemic to course correct. As a staffing agency that was primarily focused on the hospitality and event industry, mass lockdowns closed the curtain on our niche in March 2020. Little did we know, it was a precious gift. The gift of time; to strategize, restructure and gain more market share.
For the last couple of years, we staffed venues, hotels, food services giants and flagship events as a Canadian-Aboriginal-Woman-owned business and diverse supplier, certified with CCAB, CAMSC & WBE. In 2020, we won CAMSC’s Special Recognition Award and WBE’s Rising Star Award for our innovative growth despite a pandemic. We now provide North American and Carribean support with:
- Temporary, Contract & Direct Hire Staffing (Hospitality, Light Industrial, Housekeeping, Clerical, Accounting)
- Payrolling Services
- Placing New Canadian Immigrants
- Essential Resources (HR, Marketing, Project Management & Event Planning)
- Security Services
- PPE & Cleaning/Disinfecting
- 10% Profit Share Referral Program
Obviously, every business is unique, and in some cases, working IN the business is a requirement, and might even be part of what makes your business. The goal is to think big picture, make the space for yourself to look ten steps ahead, and get outside the day-to-day once in a while.
Our message to you? Don’t wait for a pandemic to take your business to the next level. Growth is always possible, but it requires vision, risk and disruption. For some entrepreneurs, this comes in the form of burnout.
How Staff Shop can help you?
As a staffing firm with various essential resources and contacts across North America, we can help you find the right people that will allow you to focus on what you should be doing. We are also available to chat if you want to learn more about how we turned lemons into lemonade this year. Email info@staffshop.ca
Stay tuned for our upcoming blog on Morning Habits of the Wildly Successful 🙂