Are you demoting yourself with your own business?

As I write this, I have spent the day in the back end of my website sorting out technical issues with my new Accelerator Academy, the webinar service and my mail provider. Aargh!!!!

Being submerged in the technical detail is not my place if genius. In fact, if I’m really honest, it’s days like this that make me want to get a job again, where I had an IT department and a marketing team to sort all this stuff out. And I worked on the ‘big’ stuff.

But with my wonderful VA on maternity leave, I decided to do some of her tasks myself. BIG MISTAKE!

Not only do I feel like I have given myself a demotion, but I know that every minute I spend on a detail oriented task is a minute I am not adding value to my business. I am being a busy fool.

As someone who advises business owners to outsource and spend their time on revenue generating tasks, you can imagine that this did not sit well with me.

Read: 5 Expert Tips Every Business Leader Should Know

 I fell into the common trap of thinking that if I can do it, I may as well do it, instead of taking the time to find lower cost, expert resources.

This is not a sound approach to building a business.

As much as I resented the day, it firmed my resolve to follow my own advice and take the steps outlined below to avoid giving myself a demotion next week.

If you feel you are getting frustrated by the minutiae of your business, and want a fresh approach, try these steps and let me how you get on!

Step 1: Where do you get your pleasure in your business?

[Tweet “Do you spend enough time doing what you love?”]Typically we start a business because we love doing what we are going to sell. We love the products we are making or the services we deliver.

In my case I love coaching and delivering workshops. If I don’t do this everyday, I know I get cranky and feel that the business is a grind.

[Tweet “Think about where your pleasure comes from in the business.”] Ask yourself if you are spending enough time in this space.

Read: Boundaries in Business – Who Needs Them – You DO!

Step 2: How do you get revenue?

I hope that how you acquire revenue is the same as what you love! This is how you build your business, grow your customer base and make money! Typically these are activities that add value.

If you are not spending enough time on them, then two things happen;

1. Your business stops growing
2. You feel frustrated you are not doing activities you love

Both are sure ways to feel like you are getting demoted!

Step 3: What do you dread doing?

If you start your day dreading your to-do list, then this will affect how you feel about you business subconsciously. You will not want to grow the business as this will mean you have to do more crud. I know this sounds inelegant but it tends to be true. We want to protect ourselves from this low level work, so we somehow put the brakes on our growth.

You know what you dislike doing, but I would bet that you haven’t written it down. Stop now, and write those tasks down. Ta dah!! Now you have a list of tasks you can outsource…

Read: How women can avoid a pay cut when they start their own business

Step 4: Are you the best person for the task?

When you start any task, ask yourself, “am I really the best person to be doing this?”

Or could someone with more expertise in this area, at a lower cost than your charge out fee, do the job faster, easier and with no stress on your part. For many IT, admin and accounting tasks, the answer will most often be yes!

Step 5: Create a great GO TO list

It’s all very well and good recognizing that you need to start outsourcing some of your tasks to ensure you avoid the demotion, but unless you have a list of trusted resources, it can be hard to start.

[Tweet “The best way to find great support is to ask.”] Ask your network, friends and associates who they use. This short circuits the recruitment process.

A second place to look is the job bid sites, like Peopleperhour.com, elance and o-desk.

If you have a quick, easy job, like creating a facebook cover, try Fiverr.com. All jobs are five US dollars!

Starting your own business is a huge feat. Ensure you feel supported and promoted by having the right resources on hand when you need them.

For help with setting boundaries in your business check out the 3Plus coaching and mentoring programs for women. Contact us.

Originally posted by Wendy Kerr Corporate Crossovers