Starting a business is very challenging. Managing a business and your employees can be very challenging. We often hear the term “headache” used to describe this feeling of being challenged. Entrepreneurs and young businesses run into problems on a daily basis. As your business grows, you hire employees, the headaches don’t stop. They probably won’t ever stop.
BUT… if you can somehow figure out where these headaches are coming from, you can make some real progress towards enjoying the life of a business owner, rather than suffering through it. That is the point after-all, right? Reap the benefits of your hard work, innovation, and dedication? It’s hard to enjoy it while constantly experiencing stress and a feeling of being buried in an endless pile of to-dos. Don’t let headaches rob you of the satisfaction of owning your own business.
Where Are Your Headaches Coming From?
One of the worst parts of having a headache is often that we cannot locate the exact location of the headache to relieve the pain. The pain is just there. Often, it’s hard to even identify what’s creating these headaches. What is the source? That feeling that you don’t even have time to stop and examine what’s going on is a terrible feeling in itself. If you don’t even have time to analyze the problem in the first place it’s a good sign that you need to make a change. It may not take as much time as you think to figure out, and there’s a great payoff.
The Two Types of Business Owner Headaches
Let’s start by simplifying the situation. Place your headaches into one of two main categories that small business owner tasks fall into. Choosing these two categories can be a daunting task in itself, so we’ll save you some time and just tell you…. based on our experience of working with business owners for the past 30 years, we’ve found that management duties that place stress on small business owners are generally caused by one of two areas of management duties.
1. Headaches Caused by Managing Employees
Stop and think about it. You started a business to see your idea reach its potential someday, to make a living doing something you love, to have an impact on the world… there are lots of great reasons small business owners start a company. It is pretty rare to hear an entrepreneur say “I started my business so I can manage employees”. It is usually more about being your own boss, not someone else’s.
Having employees is a necessity for many businesses. You simply can’t do everything yourself and you need help. Many entrepreneurs go through the transition from “business owner” to “employer” and don’t think much of it. However, this is a major crux in your journey and it is important to understand the new challenges it can create. The main challenge is figuring out how to have the time, energy, focus that you need in order to manage your business, while still taking care of employment duties. Ring a bell? Probably a little too loudly. This is one major category made up of hundreds of small issues that can become big ones.
2. Headaches Caused by Managing Your Business
How can I make my product or service better? How can we improve our customer service? Where can we increase profitability? Should we hire a CFO? These are the kind of questions that create headaches for a small business owner while managing the business. The core business decisions that have high impact on the vitality of the company. This is the kind of headache that is less painful because you probably thrive on tackling this type of obstacle. It is why you became a business owner in the first place. These are problems that you are passionate about solving.
Eliminate The Source
We encourage you to identify the sources of your headaches today, and find a way to eliminate things that are causing unnecessary stress. Also, consider solutions that allow you to have someone else wear that “Manager of Employees” hat, so you can focus on wearing just the “Manager of the Business” hat. Until then, keep fighting the good fight and thanks for being a business owner!
To learn how our PEO solution can help relieve your employment related headaches read more here.
