Running a small business is tough. It’s tough because when you first start out you have to wear all the hats of the people who would be working in the business. There are days where you are the sales team, the accountant, and the marketer. Other days you take out the trash, file reports, respond to phone calls, and update your website. And we can’t forget about production of the products or services you offer! This is one reason why being an entrepreneur requires lots of hours. Sure, you can take off to go to your daughter’s dance recital or attend a conference, but when it’s just you in the beginning, you find that you have to make up that time somewhere. It can become overwhelming.
What do you do when you feel overwhelmed by so many hats?
1. Give some hats away. I know it’s easier said than done, but the sooner you pass along a hat to someone else, the better off you will be. Find someone you can hire for a reasonable price and have them take over a role or two that you don’t enjoy doing. The biggest thing that has hurt me in a design business is that I do ALL the work, meaning my ability for business growth is limited by what I can do. If your desire is to grow your small business, you have to find help quickly.
2. Choose one or two hats for the day. Sometimes it’s best to focus on a few tasks rather than try and keep up with everything. I have found out that there are days I am more productive on working in the business and other days for working on the business. When you limit what you do and focus, you will discover that you become more efficient and accomplish more.
3. Resize your hats to fit you. Many entrepreneurs have the mindset of “go big or go home” and this isn’t always the best attitude to have. There are times when you must think smaller or say no to the endless business possibilities you could pursue. It really is OK to start off small and steady. Launching a business isn’t a sprint — it’s a marathon! Take your time and grow at a steady pace.
Wearing all the hats in a business is a valuable experience that will help shape the future of your company, but the reality is that even if we get good at all of the roles we fill, it’s not meant for us to do all of them forever.
The Art of Wearing Many Hats is not in wearing ALL of the hats.
