It's not inside it's...ooon top!

Lesson 5 - Work ON the business and not IN the business

This fifth and final lesson has been quite a mindset change of how to tackle the beast of being a business owner.

Just over a year ago, I invested in a business coach. Business had been ticking away fairly well, but there was a discrepancy between the number of hours I was spending working versus the monthly financial outputs. I was working incredible hours with nothing really to show for it at the end of the month, except being totally run down and a warped credit card to cover monthly expenses - things were just not adding up.

Kathi Clarke - dynamic business coach, owner of Building Best Business and an ActionCOACH coach; changed the way that I look at running the business. I will be the first to admit that I was very skeptical and wondered whether I really did need a coach? I think on some level I was thinking that I was failing myself if I had to ask for help - but... all professional sports people use coaches to continuously improve - and when I had that analogy, the penny dropped and I realised that this was something that I needed if I wanted to grow the business and take it to the next level.

One of the biggest lessons so far, was realising that as a business owner you need to be a lot less hands on, you need to be working ON the business opposed to IN the business. It it your responsibility to lead, motivate and steer the ship - you can't do that if you are on the ground entrenched in operations.

I have incredible support from those who are near and dear to me, however - running a business can be a lonely process. With Kathi's wealth of experience, she provides an objectivity, a soundboard and motivation to help me keep an eye on the bigger picture.

Something else that I am very appreciative of is the support structure created within the coaching environment, e.g. yesterday we had a Growth Club session where all the business owners who have invested in coaching with Kathi come together to plan and set goals for the next quarter. I always feel very invigorated after such a session, there is so much positive energy and ideas shared during the day- and it is a space shared with like-minded people who have taken that leap of faith of becoming a business owner and wanting to take their business to the next level. There is a camaraderie, a safe space of knowing that you are not alone in this - there are other people also on this journey, who without having to say anything just know and understand.

It is an exhilarating experience to see and experience the building and growing of a business; it provides inspiration for the next quarter - and who knows what other business opportunities lie around the corner to sink my teeth into.