The Exhausted Entrepreneur
So you recently started your own business? You are probably filled with a mix of emotions including excitement, hope, freedom, fear....and exhaustion.
Many people start their own business because they love the work that they do. And not only that, they’re good at it! If you’ve ever been stuck in an organization with a bad boss, a sub-par product, or inefficient processes, you’ve probably thought to yourself…”I could run this business so much better than this company does.” You’ve got ideas, a vision, and a passion.
So you may have started your business with the assumption that since you know how to do the technical work, you must be good at running a business that does that technical work…right?
What you’ve probably come to discover is that doing the technical work is completely different
If this sounds familiar, you also probably have a nagging feeling that this isn't healthy for your business in the long run. If you want your business to grow, or even just be maintained with some reasonable level of sanity, then staying in the trenches of the technical work can be a great liability for your business and limit your ability to thrive.
The Three Personalities
In Michael Gerber's book The E-Myth Revisited, he talks about three competing personalities that live inside of all small business owners. If you haven't read this book, grab yourself a copy ... it's a classic any business owner should have in their library.
The three personalities are the technician, the manager
It is self-evident that business, like people, are supposed to grow; and with growth, comes change. - Michael Gerber, E-Myth
The Technician
The technician is the "doer." This is the personality that is a master of the craft and wants to
Its very common for small business owners to start a business with the technician mindset. After all, this is what you know and are comfortable with. You know you can rock being a technician.
But as the business gains traction, you may be finding it harder and harder to keep up. You may find yourself falling behind, missing deadlines, and taking
Here are some signs you are operating your business as a technician:
- You talk about the business as "I." There is no separation between you and your business.
- You are focused on the present - i.e. what needs to be done today?
- You are the "doer" and are responsible for executing all of the technical work.
- You live by the motto "If you want something done right, you should do it yourself."
- You feel other people get in your way, and you are annoyed when something prevents you from focusing on your work.
- You are suspicious of lofty ideas and abstractions.
The Manager
If your business is growing beyond what you can individually can manage, you may have taken steps to put operations and processes into your business. Maybe you've even hired some folks to help you with the technical work. Your business is starting to grow and you need a support structure that can take some of the pressure off your shoulders. If the technician phase can be considered the infancy stage, then moving into the manager role has brought you into adolescence.
Here are some signs that you have moved to the manager phase:
- You talk about the business as "us."
- You are beginning to focus on the past, present, and future.
- You are focused on the problems of the business - i.e. what needs to be fixed?
- You have begun to build systems and processes to instill planning, order
and predictability. - You are devoting some time to the "business" side of the business. i.e. bookkeeping, paying bills, purchasing product, shipping product, etc.
The Entrepreneur
As your business evolves, you will be forced to transition from working "in" the business, to working "on" the business. Embracing an entrepreneurial perspective brings you from adolescence to maturity. The entrepreneur has a well-defined vision of what the future looks like, and then decides what needs to be done today to make that future a reality.
Here are some traits of an entrepreneurial business owner:
- Talks about the business as "it" ( a product).
- Focuses on the future, the vision, the path forward.
- Sees "opportunities" instead of "problems."
- Acts as a catalyst for change.
Comfortable dealing with the unknown.- Devotes time to developing strategies.
- Creates things for the manager to put in a row.
Most small business owners possess some mixture of these personalities. Which one dominates you?
There is no “right” way to think of your business, but if you are committed to growing your business to something beyond yourself, you will have to move out of the role of technician and into the role of entrepreneur.
So how do you navigate the evolution of the technician, the manager
In our next blog, we will explore some ways to