The Hidden Cost
Most business owners today do everything.
They begrudgingly work weekends and holidays, flake on commitments to family, and bail on nights out with friends.
They push on.
They push harder.
They compromise their health in the name of building a healthy business. But they’re not.
Then, even when they bring on help, they spend just as much time, if not more, telling the team how to do all the things that they’re supposed to no longer be worrying about.
Now, here’s the irony of it all: Even when things are going well with this business…
THEY ARE STILL EXHAUSTED
And that’s just the internal elements.
The world affecting all business operations has clearly changed too. I mean, we’re living through a global-freaking-pandemic.
Resulting in:
Supply chain disruptions
Shipping backlogs
Reduced capacities
Lockdowns and restrictions
Stock market fluctuations
Travel regulations
And the list goes on.
We’re operating in a different world than we were in 2019.
And if that weren’t enough, the health of the U.S. economy literally depends on businesses like yours.
According to ThoughtCo, “Small businesses with fewer than 500 employees drive the U.S. economy by providing jobs for over half of the nation’s private workforce.”
Did you catch that?
Half!
Now pile on the new economic trend called the “Great Resignation” where employees have been voluntarily resigning from their jobs en masse starting in early 2021. Spurring fears about how hard it is to find good workers or that solid team members might walk away.
It can all start to feel like… Well, a lot!
And we haven’t even touched on the issue of mental health.
* exhales *
Hi, I’m Adrienne Dorison
Co-founder and CEO of Run Like Clockwork.
And through all of this, here is what I’m observing: These internal + external factors are compounding to create an “I must do the work” problem for you, the business owner.
“I must do the work to save money because I need the buffer room.”
Since we don’t know if our clients or employees will jump ship. Or when our actual shipping containers will land.
“I must do the work because no one else can do it as well as me.”
Especially when hiring feels so risky amid the mass exodus of employees. And it feels easier than handing it off to someone we think is too green, too inexperienced, or too incapable to act like an owner.
So, naturally, you do the work.
But here’s the crux…
You do the work which makes you the only one capable of doing the work.
Let that one sink in:
You do the work.
Which makes you the only one capable of doing the work.
And it’s a trap!
An infinite loop that feels like there’s no way out.
Perhaps you can relate?
Maybe you’re barely managing to keep the wheels of your business turning — feeling like you can never ease up and spend less time + effort on your business.
Ugh.
Just thinking about it breaks my heart.
However, here at Run Like Clockwork…
My team and I have a unique vantage point on the situation.
Since the work we do gives us a macro view of the behind-the-scenes operations of so many businesses like yours. As a result, we’ve had the pleasure of observing what makes some businesses so resilient (while others are doomed to fail).
That’s why I want to try something a little different for you.
Over the next four days, you’ll receive an email with my reflections to help unpack what’s really keeping so many business owners stuck in this phase.
Each day will build on the last. Ultimately, leading you toward the most important question you must answer at the end of the week.
A question that will allow you to…
Avoid burnout.
Avoid closing your doors.
Avoid throwing in the towel.