What is one of the most over-rated abilities of a business owner? Technical expertise. That's right, the ability to do the technical work of the business...paint a bedroom, repair a toilet, move a household, care for the elderly, write an insurance policy, clean a home or office, remodel a room, etc. Why is having the talent to do such technical tasks not that special? Because millions of people can do those same technical tasks...some even better than you! Being a successful and satisfied business owner is NOT about being a gifted technician. It's about something more strategic.
Without question, technical talent and expertise are in high abundance. Everyone on the planet who has a job has some level of technical competence. As such, what is sorely lacking in most small business owners is leadership and marketing expertise...the skills and abilities to design, build and run the entire business, not simply complete technical tasks. Many owners are mistakenly "being the business" instead of "building the business".
Here is some tough love from your virtual business coach. If you are a business owner and pride yourself on actually doing the technical nature of the business (fix the computer or cook the burger), you may be a gifted professional or technician but please don't delude yourself...you own a job, not a business. If you are trapped working in the technical trenches of your business on a daily basis (cleaning the carpets or cutting the grass), you are not functioning as a business owner, you are functioning as a doer.
And that's perfectly OK when you start a business... but not forever! While most owners wear multiple hats and perform multiple tasks when they start a business, they need to give up the technical hats as the business grows and evolves so they are left wearing the critical leadership and strategic hats. Sadly, many owners never make this critical transformation...from technical doer to strategic leader. Their heads are buried under hats and their lives are buried in the business.
If you don't mind wearing lots of hats, doing lots of tasks, and working predominantly "in" your business and very little "on" your business, that's your call. It's your life and business. Just accept the unintended consequences...being overworked, overwhelmed, and feeling like a prisoner to your business.
Here is some business coaching to provide you with another way to think about your role. As an owner, your real job is to create technical jobs for others (painting, repair, selling, bookkeeping, customer service, administrative, etc.), not technical jobs for yourself. Your job is to be the leader of your business and establish the vision, model, direction, plans, goals, the systems (marketing, selling, operations, HR, etc.) and provide on-going accountability, to name a few priorities, so that others can efficiently and effectively do the technical, tactical and daily work of the business.
If you simply see yourself as a technician (painter, senior care provider, mover, cleaner, etc.), you will have a very limited mindset and restrict yourself to doing only those technical tasks. However, if you see yourself as an owner and marketer, you will have a much larger mindset and do the right things to design and build the entire business, not just the technical components of the business.
For example, be the owner and marketer of a senior care business, don't simply be one of the senior care providers. Be the owner and marketer of a painting business, don't just be another one of the painters. Be the owner and marketer of a moving company, don't just be a mover. In a pinch, OK, but not on a daily basis. You are the owner, not a technician.
Again, technical talent and expertise are vastly over-rated. Don't limit yourself to the masses of good technicians in the world. Instead, dare to be different and bigger. Dare to have a larger mindset and see yourself as the owner and marketer of your business.
Daniel M. Murphy
President, Founder & Business Coach
The Growth Coach
Business Coaching Franchise System