One of the questions I ask my clients is, “What do you like and dislike about your business?” It is one of the most important questions you can ask yourself about your business. Why?  Because I can almost guarantee that what you dislike the most will probably be the thing that you have the hardest time actually getting done. There is a very good chance that you might not want to even do that task that you dislike, or if you do finally finish it, you won’t do it well or on time.

Does that really matter?  Yes! Because that thing you dislike, will become a distraction to you and consequently impact the overall performance of your business.

Most business owners are pressed for time, so it is very easy to procrastinate the things you dislike.   These things build up in the background and become a subconscious distraction. You know you have to do them, but you always find a reason not to do them because you hate doing them.

You naturally focus on the things you like doing, which is normal and is probably the core of your business.  However, over time even the things that you like doing start to become onerous because at the back of your mind, you know you have to tackle the things you don’t like doing!

What is the solution?  Create a list of the things you like and don’t like about your business.  For the “don’t like” things, look at what can be outsourced. Yes, there will probably be a cost for some of these things if you don’t have staff that can take them on, but take the time to investigate the cost.  The cost might not be as much as you think.  Try and work out what your time is worth compared to what the cost is to outsource it.  It isn’t only the monetary cost, but also your time and mind space which is invaluable. You should also consider the future costs of doing nothing. If you don’t make a change nothing will change!

When it comes to tasks you dislike you have three choices. You delegate it to your staff, outsource it to a contractor, or learn to love it. If you don’t do one of these three things, it will slowly weaken your business, creating a kind of slow rot that will eventually consume the entire business.

Feel free to drop me an email with any questions at julian@julianwhite.com.au.