You reach a certain point in your business where it's no longer about how much you can do. When you're starting out, you're doing anything and everything to grow your business. When you reach the stage of having built and established a business, it can be very hard to get out of this solopreneur mindset. I've worked with countless women who have teams of anywhere from two to 25 and are still operating like solopreneurs, holding themselves back.
There is a threshold at which you realize there's no more room in your mental or physical capacity to continue adding things to your plate. The problem is you want to keep growing and creating a great impact, but you're all out of space on your calendar and in your mind. So, you're torn between wanting to do it all to ensure everything is done well and being buried in the day-to-day, desiring that greater sense of freedom that you thought would happen when you started your own business.
Too many women are held back from their impact, their potential, and how far they can really go because they are still operating as employees rather than leaders. It's the belief that growth only comes by doing more that holds so many of us back. When you reach this threshold and recognize that you're all out of time, it's time to shift into being the visionary and the leader of your business rather than just working inside of it.
Today, I'm going to teach you ways that you can to step out of your day-to-day operations and the importance of stepping out for further growth. Most people believe that growth comes by doing, and in fact, that's how you've grown your business so far - you've done it all. But at this point, you can't keep doing it all because it's taking away from the growth.
Stepping out of your day-to-day operations is not selfish. In fact, it provides so much confidence in your team and allows you to see from a bird's eye view rather than being so deep inside your business that you can't see all your blind spots.
Crumbling On The Inside
I have a multi-million-dollar client who has a team of over 20. Her business receives achievements and accolades year after year. From the outside, it appears that everything is working, but from the inside, everything was actually crumbling before our work together. The company was being held together by her being the glue or duct tape for every single position. After doing an audit of her time and energy, she was still so involved in day-to-day admin and operational tasks.
After our work together, she learned that to instill trust and confidence in her team, she learned to let go of her tight grasp on so many items that people were perfectly capable of doing. She claimed her creative freedom to her lead and develop her team and strategically grow the business.
It is amazing how much is lost when we keep the mindset of growth equals doing more. In fact, after your business is established, keeping this mindset focused on doing more will only hold you back. Bigger growth at an established level requires you to accept a position of leadership that you haven't yet touched. It requires you to let go of things that are no longer something you need to be doing.
Stepping out of your day-to-day might feel scary, and in fact, it might feel like you're letting people down, especially if you always want to be seen as the hardest worker in the room. But instead of thinking that stepping away makes you at fault, start thinking about how stepping away actually pours directly into the growth of your business and the growth of each member on your team. Do not be personally responsible for their potential in your business being capped, and do not be the bottleneck of your own business.
Why Stepping Out of Day-to-Day Operations Matters
When you finally accept that stepping out of your day today is necessary and you've taken accountability for being the only thing holding your business back from growth, a few magical things happen.
You now have more time and energy, and these are your most valuable assets as your brain is the creator of everything that is possible. Stepping out of the day-to-day tasks allows you to focus on strategic initiatives that are going to drive the continued growth of your business.
You also set yourself up to scale bigger because everything isn't relying on you. I've seen too many women have sick days or vacation times that are just working in a different location. You shouldn't be watching your children play on the beach while sitting on your laptop. You shouldn't be in your bed with the flu or a sinus headache working on your laptop. You should build a business that runs smoothly even when you step away.
Your team becomes so much more empowered and confident because they know that you trust them. They feel confident to make decisions and take ownership in many areas, taking the mental load of all the decision-making off your plate.
And most importantly, the longevity of your business has increased exponentially. Many think work-life balance is a myth; many believe work-life balance is equal parts working and living, and both of those are untrue. Your balance will look different from anyone else's, but your balance has to be non-negotiable.
We can't just live to work; we can't lose ourselves in the business because we love our work. It's easy to forget why we are doing it all, and if it's not to provide a better life for our families and enjoy the life we are living right now, is there really a point to it all? Having work-life balance as a non-negotiable keeps you sane, keeps you from being reactive, and helps you enjoy the life you've built.
Stepping Out to Step Up
Let's talk about 10 different things that you need to do to be able to step out of your day-to-day operations:
1. Delegate Effectively: Identify key team members or hire individuals who can take on specific roles and responsibilities within your organization. Ensure they have the resources and support they need to succeed. When you delegate, focus on clarity and coaching to empower them to step into and take over bigger tasks. This will ensure that they continue to grow inside the business as well.
2. Invest in Training and Development: Make sure that you have a mentor and consultant for your business in your corner. There is heavy accountability needed to identify your blind spots and step into the true CEO position. Also, provide training opportunities and mentorship to empower your team. Help them get the resources and tools they need to do the best job they can and continue learning. It's important for you to be an example of this as well.
3.Implement Efficient Systems and Processes: Get rid of anything that's clunky and make sure that things are running smoothly on the back end and from the customer side. Streamline your business operations by developing efficient systems and processes. This will help ensure autonomy for your team and make sure you aren't feeling like you have to micromanage because there are clear systems and processes in place.
4. Set Clear Expectations: If people don't know what to do and exactly how to do it, you can guarantee that it won't be done right. Clear communication and clear expectations are necessary in every conversation. Clearly define roles, responsibilities, and expectations for your team members. This clarity ensures that everyone understands their part in the organization's success.
5. Establish KPIs and Metrics: Implement key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to measure the performance and progress of your business. Regularly review these indicators to make data-driven decisions. Know that this data needs to be in an area that is also connected with how you define success. We absolutely want to look at the numbers financially, traffic, and engagement, but we also want to look at the measurement of our quality of life for us and for our team.
6. Leverage Technology: Use technology and automation tools to simplify tasks and improve efficiency. Invest in software and platforms that can handle various aspects of your business operations. Too many businesses get left behind because they're so busy that they don't integrate with new ways of doing things. You must constantly be updating and upgrading the way in which you're doing things to make sure it's efficient.
7. Hire a Management or Leadership Team: Consider hiring experienced managers who can oversee different departments of your business. Having skilled professionals in leadership roles can free up your time. When you lay out your organizational chart, I want you to see everybody that you have working for you. Of all those people working for you, how many of them can directly connect when they need something? This is an oversight and a blind spot for many leaders who keep hiring and then managing teams of 5 to 25 and find that they are spending their days talking and managing all these roles all day long.
8.Outsource Non-Core Functions: Stick to what you know and have the team capabilities for. Not everything needs to be in-house. Outsource non-core functions like accounting, customer support, or marketing to experts or agencies. This allows you to focus on core business activities.
9. Empower Your Team to Make Decisions: Encourage your team members to make decisions and take ownership of their areas of responsibility. This builds confidence and fosters leadership within your organization. People want to feel like they belong and are part of something bigger. Outsourcing decisions takes away from the mental load that you carry as the CEO and shows your team members that you trust them.
10. Regularly Review and Adjust: With your freed-up time and energy, you should be able to focus on CEO Visionary tasks like strategic planning and future growth for the company. Alongside this, you will be able to better coach up your team members. Schedule regular meetings to review progress, address challenges, and adjust your strategies as needed. Be open to feedback and continuous improvement.
Stepping out of the day-to-day operations of your business is a pivotal step towards growth and work-life balance as a female founder and mompreneur. With the freedom to be more, you can devote your time and energy to elevating yourself as the leader through personal development and leadership development. You have more time to devote to passion projects and ideas that have been sitting on the shelves of your mind for years. All of this while also having the time freedom to do more of what you choose, instead of feeling constantly locked into things you don't care to spend your time on. Your family and your team will thank you.
If you've reached the stage where you are established and want to keep growing but don't want to keep adding hours to your plate, make sure that you are on the waitlist for Female Founders Inner Circle. Over a period of 6 months, you are getting a full assessment and audit of your business so that you can accelerate further without burying yourself even deeper in your calendar or taking time away from your family.
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