BUILDING A BUSINESS THAT FITS YOU

I have mentioned in previous articles that having a vision is hugely important but I want to dive into something that is more important than just having the ‘big vision’ and that is focusing on creating a business that actually fits you! 

You might think that all you need to focus on is some of the big HOW questions; how big can you build your business, how fast can you create it, how successful do you aspire to be, how much money are you aiming to make etc. but building the right type of organisation is just as important, if not more so. 

I can say this based on lived experience from previous roles, acting in fast-paced COO roles for huge businesses, as well as seeing this dichotomy of direction from some of the experts that I coach and mentor in their scale-up efforts. 

I've been in many businesses that have had a big vision - but if that vision doesn't fit the person/people that are running it then you hit roadblocks. 

Let’s say that a founder has visions of living in a certain way, but has a business that demands a different approach, that will breed dissatisfaction and discontentment. As an example, a founder who aims to replace their income so that they can have more flexibility in their schedule, only to find that their client services customers have an expectation of instant turnarounds, 24/7 access to communications with them and no boundaries might soon discover that their reality is vastly different than the entrepreneurial dream that they sold themselves on! 

This might sound incredibly obvious, but it is amazing how many people I speak to who are incredibly busy running a business that does not give them what will ultimately make them happy.

And, before you ask, this is not a post about ‘following your happiness to enable you to have a life of never-ending rainbows and unicorns’, as that is nonsense, but you must be mindful that what you are building should be getting you towards the end outcome that you really desire. 

Trying to grow a brand or business that is misaligned with your true goals is nigh on impossible. 

Living out of alignment for too long ends badly; this is what creates burnout and anxiousness; a trait of far too many business owners in my opinion. 

Now, to lighten the tone of this article, I would like to offer you some practical tips on how to make sure that the above-listed challenges are not something that affects you: 

1. Operate in flow - in business, flow refers to ‘the smooth and uninterrupted movement of goods, information, or funds from one stage of production or delivery to the next.’ But, the sort of flow I am referring to is when you move from job to job seamlessly, not noticing the time pass, and get a sense of genuine fulfilment from the work you are doing. Of course, not every day will be a joy-filled flow-fest, but you might as well give yourself the best chance possible for that to be your reality as often as possible, right!?

2. Be authentic - if you are doing great work and making a big impact for your customers and clients then you will usually be acting from a place of authenticity which means you are in alignment, which should feel extremely satisfactory.

3. Focus on high-value tasks - if you are operating in flow and being authentic then you should find yourself in a position to be spending the vast majority of your time focusing on high-value tasks. This has two benefits; 1) it will drive fast growth within the business and 2) it feels damn good!  

As an SME business owner, one of the most important things you can do is to ensure that you are building a business that fits you because when business and personal values are in line you - and the business - will have clarity of purpose, improved decision-making, increased productivity and motivation, all of which will most likely increase the value of what it is that you do, leading to enhanced reputation and credibility.

Happy building… in the right way!