The other day I wrote about the importance of accountability in business. Today, I’ll expand on this a bit by relating a story about Jim, a client I worked with a year or so ago…
Jim is a highly creative interior designer. He has built a solid reputation on his ability to create zen-like rooms that truly helped you to let go of the stresses and strains of the outside world.
News of Jim’s talents quickly spread, and his business grew each year, mostly due to word of mouth referrals.
Jim had a habit of running his business from the seat of his pants, and he got away with it for the first couple of years. But as his business grew, it began to takes it’s toll.
There was no specific daily or weekly plan, other than to respond to whatever happened to be going on. Somewhere in his mind, he made a mental note of what had to be accomplished, but he was often thrown off track because each day started with his a myriad of calls from clients, vendors and contractors whose crises were determining his every move.
Jim started feeling as though he couldn’t get anything done. He was behind in his drawings, behind in order furnishings, behind in his invoicing and behind in paying his bills. Things that had started out as small problems, got blown out of proportion; and several clients were threatening to fire him. He was working 12 -14 hour days, and his weekends were consumed with catching up.
I’ve told you all of this to point to something that is so elementary, but so important for so many business owners and professionals: STRUCTURE.
Think about it, when you work for someone else there is some kind of structure in place. It tells you what your working hours are, what you have to accomplish, and often gives you some guidelines for policies and procedures to follow.
When you work for yourself, it’s up to you to provide that structure. When you don’t, you’re likely to go into what I call entrepreneurial free fall, which is kind of like jumping out of a plane without a parachute.
If you’re flying by the seat of your pants, perhaps it’s time to develop some structure. Business coaching can help. If that idea sounds interesting, read more about my business coaching services, and schedule a business coaching consultation.
Susan Martin
