Question: What's the true purpose of your business?
It's not to provide MSP services, or to keep clients happy. That's just what it does.
I strongly believe that the purpose of your business is to give you a great life, and the resources to achieve that life.
Problem: Too many business owners think that they are there for the business. They forget that after the initial start-up phase, it's supposed to be the other way around. The business is supposed to be there for them.
Problem: Too many business owners happily work 80 hours a week for themselves, in order to avoid working 40 hours a week for someone else.
Problem: Too many business owners create a prison of their own design, and then lock themselves inside.
To me, this is the curse of the business owner.
It's what steals years, often decades of your life away from you
In your business, you have two key resources: Time and cash.
One of them is finite. The other is infinite; it never runs out.
Which is the infinite resource?
Why it's cash, of course. Might not feel like it some days. But there's plenty of cash out there. Plenty of business. You just have to get good enough at marketing to go out there and get more of it.
This statement will remain true no matter what happens to the economy after the 29th March next year... 🙄
But time... well, time is your most finite resource. When it's gone, it's gone. And it's the one thing that for every single one of us will run out one day.
Gulp.
This is why for years I have worked on the principle that I should only do, what only I can do.
My business super powers are deal making, presenting, leadership and direct response marketing. So in all my business ventures, that's all I do.
I don't do paperwork or admin. I've never filled in a vat return (I'd muck it up, anyway). I don't do technical stuff with websites.
In my property business, I don't build houses or try to project manage builds.
Better to give some of the infinite resource (cash) for someone else to do all of these things, so I can preserve the finite resource (time).
I only do, what only I can do.
This has extended to my home life too.
I don't wash my car. Mow my lawn. Clean the toilet. Fix broken things.
I'm not good at these things and don't enjoy them. So they are all outsourced to experts who do a better job in a quarter of the time it would take me.
This isn't just a way of operating, it's a way of thinking.
With every new project I take on, or job that lands on my laptop, I'm asking myself - How can I DOA this away.
DOA? Traditionally that stands for Dead On Arrival.
Well, I don't want that to be me. So I've turned it into Delegate Outsource Automate. The 3 letter acronym that gives you your time back, and creates a better life.
And where is all of this extra time invested?
Quality time with my family. We take a lot of holidays and mini breaks. I like going to the cinema during the day (feels naughty, which makes it more exciting). And I adore really long walks. Great thinking time.
Here's how to get started on this
What's one thing you're doing today that really, someone else could do for you? Maybe they'd do it better than you, or cheaper (you're the most experienced person in the business. An hour of your time is probably worth 2-3 times a hour of their time).
Pick something, just one little task, and delegate it or outsource it. Don't overthink it, just do it. Remember that you're delegating the task itself, not the responsibility for getting the task done.
Then every day look at what you have to do, and try to remove just one task every day to someone else.
Remove the tasks that anyone can do, so you hang onto the things that only you can do. It's a smaller list of things than you think.
I'd love to help you with this. It's quite normal to hang onto jobs way past the point they should be done by someone else.
TAKE ACTION: Join my free MSP Marketing Facebook group, where you can access me every day to discuss growing your business and creating a better life for yourself.
