Businessowners know all too well how difficult it is to catch a break.
Entrepreneurship never sleeps.
So, if you have finally decided to take a few days off work, chances are by lunchtime on the first day, your phone will ring. Someone will need a password, someone else won’t be able to find an order, and apparently no one in the entire company knows what to do about a customer complaint.
And there goes your holiday.
If your business can’t get through a Tuesday without you, there’s probably something that needs changing.
Here are five tips for building a business that isn’t completely reliant on you:
Give Someone Else the Responsibility
You might have employees who are perfectly capable of managing things, but you’ve never given them a proper chance.
Choose one area of the business and let someone take responsibility for it. Not just helping you with the work, but making everyday decisions too.
You will naturally still want updates, but there’s a difference between knowing what’s happening and needing to approve every single step.
Stop Answering Your Phone on Your Days Off
You’re sitting down to lunch on a Saturday when your phone rings.
It’s work. Again.
Before answering, ask yourself whether this involves a business skill your team should already have. If it is, sort that out when you’re back in the office.
People get used to calling you because you always answer. People get used to calling you because you always answer. Often, the best thing is to let them figure it out themselves.
Get Some Help Without Hiring Another Person
There comes a point where your business has more little jobs than anyone has time for.
But hiring another employee isn’t always the answer.
An AI coworker can help with routine requests, answer questions about company procedures, and direct people towards the right information.
It won’t make your morning coffee, unfortunately, but it will save you from answering the same question for the seventh time before lunch.
Give Your Team a Budget They Can Use
Your manager needs to replace a broken piece of equipment.
They’ve found a reasonably priced replacement, but they still have to phone you for permission. Give trusted employees a sensible spending limit for everyday expenses.
You can always ask them to run bigger purchases past you. This just means that if someone needs your specific approval to buy a new kettle for the office, you probably haven’t handed over enough responsibility.
Stop Saying Yes to Everything
A customer wants to speak to you personally.
An employee asks you to check something they’ve already checked twice.
A supplier or rep wants fifteen minutes of your time.
If you say yes to all of them, your day will belong to everyone except you. Start directing people to people who can also help.
You don’t have to be rude. In fact, don’t be rude; just stop making yourself available for absolutely everything.
In Conclusion
It’s lovely being the person everyone can rely on.
Until everyone relies on you for practically everything.
Building a business that runs without you takes a little patience, particularly when you’re used to being involved in every decision.
But the reward is certainly worth it. Imagine going away for a week and coming back to find that everything’s still running perfectly well.
Follow the tips in this article, and you won’t need to imagine it.
