Running your own business can be extremely rewarding and extremely exhausting. Could you be doing it more effectively and more efficiently? Could you be enjoying your life more? See what some experts have to say to help you. 1. Philosophical Let’s begin this article that will hopefully help you and your business achieve more with Noah Thomas Leask’s warning (advice). He is president and CEO of ISHPI, a South Carolina-based company offering high-level cyber security. When asked by Entrepreneur.com what advice he would give to small business owners, he said be ready to work hard. “Do not underestimate the amount of effort, perseverance, and discipline that is required to be successful. If you are starting a business to get rich and work less, then you are on the wrong path. One should be working on enjoying the journey not thinking about the destination. The riches-seekers never reach it.” Next, Kevin Rudolph gives a tip on how to enjoy that journey. 2. Operational Kevin Rudolph runs Rudolph Brothers, Inc., a landscaping and snow removal company in Ohio. He also offered advice on Entrepreneur.com. He recommended that owners focus on the business and hire outside firms to handle the business aspects they’re good at…and you’re not. Advertising, for example. Use “a marketing firm to help you market your business. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Buy some advice and let the marketing firm do what you will never have time to do. Then you can just focus on what you love—running your business.” Jon Goldman goes a step further with his advice that also encompasses growing your business. 3. Operational Jon Goldman helps business owners break free from the day-to-day operations to focus on what matters most and doing what they enjoy most. Jon’s solution, found on his Brand Launcher website, says: “Simplify: Break the processes down into small, discrete steps. Codify: Create a manual. Take your “code” and preserve in a form that can be retrieved, reviewed, and reused for training or expansion. Multiply: Hire, delegate, or outsource to multiply your own singular ability to do what you do best.” There is another hand, and on it, Steve Jobs thought a little differently. Read on… 4. Human Resources Former Apple CEO and founder, Steve Jobs, famously said “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” This is echoed by another successful business owner. “Hire smart people, empower them do their job and treat them well!” Inc.com has a good article titled 5 Things Smart Leaders Do to Empower Employees. However, learn from Michelle Taglialatela which employee to avoid giving too much power. 5. Risk Management Michelle Taglialatela is the founder and president of Tag, the premier brand strategy shop in Philadelphia. When she hired a bookkeeper for her growing office, he immediately began embezzling money. What he did not know is that just before hiring him, Michelle wisely told the bank to send future statements to her home address. When she reviewed the statement the following month, she saw many forged checks which resulted in the bookkeeper’s termination…and arrest. “In today’s digital environment,” Michelle says, “I would not give a bookkeeper bank login credentials. Instead, I would download a PDF of the statement, review it to ensure I recognize all transactions and provide that to the bookkeeper.” She also suggests avoiding setting up multiple users, even if they have limited user capabilities. Next, the CEO of Twitter tells us what not to avoid. 6. Human Resources At at event in New York City for small business owners, Goldman Sachs took advantage of the opportunity and asked several extremely successful business owners for their advice. Jack Dorsey was one. He is the co-founder and CEO of Twitter (and Square) and offered this. “Clarify what your purpose is and be able to articulate and communicate that in a simple sentence. This is important because as you bring people into the company, when you ask them, ‘Why are you here? Why do you want to join this company?’ If you hear that purpose back, if you hear that passion around that purpose, it makes everything a whole lot easier. Any skill can be learned and taught. But passion cannot.” Robert Reid, CEO of Intacct, takes a different stance on holding employees accountable, and it fares well with his staff. 7. Human Resources Robert Reid is CEO of Intacct Corporation, a financial management and accounting service provider to businesses. Reid advises instilling the company’s values into the employees. He suggests giving every employee quarterly objectives and holding them accountable. This is a tactic he employs, and it works. Reid received a 100% employee approval rating in a Glassdoor survey. 8. Philosophical Scott Gerber founded Sizzle It!, a New York-based company specializing in promotional videos for public relations and marketing pros. Writing for Entrepreneur.com, he advises, “Be healthy.” Being an entrepreneur and starting a business can take all of your time and wear you down. Don’t let it. Gerber warns that working to the point of exhaustion will burn you out and you’ll be much more productive when you take better care of yourself. He boils the life-side of the work-life balance equation down to three things: Eat right. Exercise. Find time for yourself.
