Solve Overwhelm In Your Business Forever
Solve Overwhelm In Your Business Forever
What keeps entrepreneurs motivated after achieving success?
I wrestled with this for a while—the switch that has to be flipped to get things moving, the moment when you decide you're ready to go after it. For me, once that switch is on, it's almost impossible to turn off. And honestly, why would I want to?
For example, my wife and I were on the beach recently, relaxing after several days. Everything was great—sunshine, the ocean—but I remember telling her, "This is nice, but we probably should’ve left a couple of days ago. I’m ready to get back to work." I’m not the kind of person who can just keep golfing or lounging at the beach. I have a life that I’m excited to wake up to, and I feel blessed every day.
I never imagined I'd get to where I am today, so reflection is important. Still, this drive, this motivation—I can't quite explain it, but I wouldn't want it any other way. At the end of the day, I’m just a normal guy trying to make things happen. I haven’t "arrived" anywhere; I’m just doing okay.
How can business owners build effective systems to streamline operations?
If you're wearing all the hats in your business, the best advice I can give is to read Systemology and The Business Playbook by Chris Ronzio. Then study them—read them four, five, or even six times if needed. Do whatever it takes to understand them fully.
Once you've grasped the concepts, start documenting the systems you currently keep in your head. Put them into software or a system that can be followed. Take McDonald’s as an example. They don’t have the best burger, but they have one of the best business systems in the world. It doesn’t matter who works there—whether they’re young, old, or speak a different language—the cheeseburger that comes out is always the same because the system runs the process.
The key is not about hiring the person; it’s about working the system. If you're wearing all the hats, you need to put systems in place. Systems are hard to build, they take time, and the process isn’t fun. But once they're in place, you won’t have to rely solely on people, though people are still important. A system allows you to gauge and manage your business more effectively.
How can business owners delegate tasks to grow their business?
That's a decision you have to make—you need to make it happen. The first thing I did was list the tasks I disliked the most. I wrote down the daily and weekly tasks that I hated doing, especially the office and clerical work. As I made this list, I inadvertently started creating duties for my first hire.
Once I had those tasks defined, I had to take a leap of faith. I understand the limiting beliefs, like thinking there’s no extra money or not enough revenue to justify hiring someone. But the key is, you can’t measure the opportunity lost when you’re stuck wearing every hat. I fell for that too, thinking, "How can I afford to pay someone $50,000 a year?" But the truth is, when you delegate those tasks, it frees you up to grow the business and increase revenue.
You want to approach it the right way, though. Once you outline the duties, try to systematize them. Define how tasks should be completed—whether it’s inputting data or handling other responsibilities. Books like Systemology can really help with this, though they are detailed and in-depth. But that’s the playbook for how you do it.
How can business owners stop micromanaging and empower their teams?
The tendency when you first hire someone is to micromanage them because you're used to doing everything yourself, and you likely know how to do it best. But the goal isn’t for you to keep doing it perfectly; it’s to let someone else learn how to do it.
I see many business owners who hire but then spend their time going around asking, “Why did you do it that way?” or “Why didn’t you do it this way?” This creates a poor work environment and doesn’t empower your team.
Instead, approach it like this: Be okay with the idea of potentially losing a little money while your team learns. How bad could it really get between meetings or decisions? The potential losses are minor compared to the benefits of empowering your team. You can't put a value on the growth you’ll see when you stop micromanaging and start trusting your people.
*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.*
