Are you Undermining your own Business?

Are you the kind of business owner or boss that is always involved in what everybody else is doing? Telling the graphic designer how to do their job, trying to teach your web designer how to write code, or explaining to your marketing team how best to market your brand.

You may be sabotaging your own livelihood.

Unless you are genuinely an expert in everything, it’s highly unlikely that you know better than the people who specialise in their particular field.

Here are Three Things you Should do in 2015:

1 – Stop Micro Managing

You probably interfere because you don’t believe your staff know what they’re doing, or you think you know better, which is odd, considering you hired them in the first place.

Micro-managing your staff can cause more harm than good, as it is distracting and detrimental to morale and productivity.

I read an awesome quote a few years ago. A king to his son and heir: “I surround myself with people cleverer and more able than me, so I can sit back and think big thoughts while they govern my realm for me.” – Melanie Rawn

Focus on doing what they can’t do, like making rain happen.

There’s a name for this: Entrepreneur’s Disease

Have you ever seen a pile of papers and files cluttering up a big CEO’s desk? No? Golf clubs spring to mind. That’s because the heads of big corporations know the power of networking and clearing their plate so they can focus on the important stuff.

2 – Let it Go

Sure, it’s easy to picture yourself in a plush CEO’s office with a putting green on the carpet, but I run a small business, and if I don’t stay involved the wheels will fall off, right?

Wrong. Big business or small business, the approach is still the same.

Try coming in a little later than the staff, or even working from home a few days of the week. That allows your staff to assume responsibility and leadership roles within the business.

This show of faith on your part will also help inspire confidence in your staff.

In a word: delegate. And let them learn through their mistakes.

3 – Outsource

Don’t have any staff? Still trying to do it all yourself? From invoicing to new business development to social media and updating the website? Find you’re not getting to everything and working crazy hours? I’ve been there, believe me!

Your business is never going to grow until you start spending some money on the important things, like getting a decent logo, a decent website and decent business cards! And hire an accountant for pity’s sake, that box of receipts is not going to capture itself.

Letting go of your baby is never easy, but it’s a heck of a lot better than suffocating it to death.

Here’s to your growth and starting 2015 on the right footing.

 

About Dylan Kohlstädt:

Dylan Kohlstädt is the founder and Account Director of Shift ONE: outsource marketing for entrepreneurs. Dylan is an online marketing specialist who is passionate about the user’s experience and about helping entrepreneurs and start-ups succeed.

Dylan has 18 years marketing management experience in insurance, financial and property industries, six of which gained in hands-on experience in online marketing involving web, mobile, SEO, CRM and Social Marketing and is considered a subject matter expert on all things digital.

She has extensive local and international experience (South Africa, UK and Australia), has managed global and national brands and is experienced in managing multiple product ranges in multiple languages and countries.

Dylan also has an MBA through UNISA SBL.

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info@shiftone.co.za