How To Revitalise Your Business Quickly - Part 1

7/15/2016

You started you business with an idea, added your ideal client profile; obtained some hardware / software / tools, suppliers / muses, sorted out your logistical & legal matters ... and you launched!

Wait, wait, wait - what have you missed?

Part 1 = where do you spend your time?

Running your own business is fun, challenging, even exhilarating. Doing what you love, being your own boss - brilliant!

Whether you work 100% solo, or you have business partners, or you out-source - you'll wear many hats & play many roles.

Your business probably has about 8 roles - don't get hung-up on the exact number. Change it to suit your circumstances.

Bear in mind that each role = a cluster of similar / related functions bundled together..

All right - so maybe you're working an 18-hour day (for now), because you choose to. How about choosing a different way, possibly a better way / more efficient way?

In this series, we'll explore your business roles, what's working & not working for you. We'll look at some alternatives - see where we end up.

Part 1: Where do you spend most of your time?

Chances are you adopted the traditional roles as a default - you have a legal and a tax advisor, and do everything else you can, when you can.

Admirable, but high-risk. The Interwebs have changed the way we do business, how we buy, & how we sell. How do you know whether everything that is critical, is being done? Where are you spending the bulk of your time?

While we work through the Business Roles series, evaluate what you can change to make your business run smoother. If you conclude that the traditional roles model, or your current model, is the best for your business, then you'll have that certainty plus insights for improvement.

Once you've defined your business roles, you'll be able to:

plan & execute the work more efficiently
implement growth / sales strategies more quickly
manage your business risks better

Traditional business roles

You & your core business = what you do.
Virtual Assistant = administration, communications, research, etc.
Book-keeper = daily financials.
Marketing expert.
Website Designer = your website and related.
Tax advisor
Business coach/mentor
Planner

The traditional SME roles break-down clusters responsibilities according to business functions / silos.

For example, the Marketing Expert is completely separate from the Website Designer, although websites have become an integral part of marketing strategies.

The Bookkeeper role is separate from the Core Business - so the impact of financial performance might not be correlated with operational details.

These 2 examples alone offer huge opportunity for improvement, if you're prepared to invest time in analysing your business, then revising the roles.

Alternate business roles

You & your core business = what you do.
Muse = sources of inspiration, vision, research, training, education.
Business coach = clarify & refine ideas, planning, goals, commitment.
Architect = business plan, business model, strategy.
Techie = infrastructure, systems, processes.
Operative(s) = operations, accounting, taxation.
Publicist = marketing, networking, social media, promotions, sales.
Mastermind = partnerships, mastermind group(s), joint ventures, think-tanks.

There is no one perfect set of roles for small businesses. The example above is geared at stimulating your imagination & curiosity.

What are you current roles
How are they working for you
What are your gaps
What changes do you need to make?

Now that you know where you spend most of your time, go to Part 2 to maximise your time & effort.

Part 1: Where do you spend most of your time?
Part 2: Where should you spend your time? (what to keep in-house, & what to out-source?)
Part 3: The Muse in your business (inspiration, vision, training, education)
Part 4: The Architect in your business (business plan, business model, strategy)
Part 5: The Techie in your business (infrastructure, systems, processes)
Part 6: Smooth Operatives in your business (operations)
Part 7: Publicist Role (marketing, networking, sales, social media)
Part 8: You, the Mastermind (JVs, partnerships, think-tanks, groups).

Contact me if you need to clarify your business roles.

3 Comments

Magdalena Marsden link

7/10/2016 11:56:24

This is really interesting way of looking at the difference between the traditional job roles in a company and when being self-employed. Most people don't even realise that they become (or should be at the beginning....) so many different roles. I think at the start of your business, everyone is doing everything, until the point when they can delegate or outsource some elements.

Bibi Van Heerden link

7/10/2016 13:39:23

Thanks, Magdalena - you're correct; at the start almost everything is done by the business owner(s); role differentiation comes later. However, the earlier the solo biz owner looks at these roles and defines them in a way that supports their specific business, the better.
Do you have the traditional roles, or have you re-defined them for your biz?

Barb link

7/10/2016 12:53:00

I enjoyed the way you've broken this down and am looking forward to Part 2!

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