If you stepped away from your business for two weeks, what would things look like when you came back? Would things be relatively fuss-free with projects and tasks ticking along without you, or would problems have piled up, leaving you with a big mess to fix?
It's an important question we could all do with asking ourselves once in a while– are we running our business, or are we letting it run us? And if things start to fall apart in our absence and we begin to lose control, how can we put the systems in place to give us more freedom?
It takes time, energy, and money to make a business a success. And the more successful a business becomes, the more invested we become as business owners. We want to be involved in every decision and support our team every step of the way. We want to do everything in our power to ensure the success of our business is continued.
But when we forget to take a step back and make time for ourselves, success is dependent on us. We become stuck, unable to take that two week holiday without risking unhappy customers and a slump in business.
What does business freedom mean to you?
Ask one hundred people what success looks like and you'll get one hundred different answers. We all define success in different ways. It could be growing your business threefold, implementing technology to save you time, or redesigning your business so you can spend more time with family and doing the things you love.
Whatever success looks like to you, it's important to plan for it, and to build the kind of business that gives you freedom.
The freedom of not letting your business run you. Of not just doing things because 'that's the way they've always been done.' Of not losing customers because of inadequate systems. Of not being so stuck in the day-to-day that you can't take a step back to assess the bigger picture and plan for the future. Of knowing that if you need to step away for two days or even two weeks that things won't fall apart without you.
So how do you build a business that gives you more freedom?
Start with systems and processes.
Systems and processes are the keys to unlocking business freedom. To regaining control. To happier and more successful teams. To better customer experiences. To building a business that runs independently of you and has the foundations in place to enable growth.
The average adult makes more than 35,000 decisions per day. Systems and processes remove the time, energy, and mental effort of making some of those decisions. They also form the cornerstones of every successful business: accuracy and efficiency.
When we don't have a solid framework for what we're doing, things fall apart. We lack focus and direction and we waste time doing the same things over and over again when they could be streamlined, outsourced, or automated. Efficient systems and effective processes remove that stress and anxiety and help us regain control with repeatable, step-by-step workflows that create clarity and consistency.
Taking back control
If you can't step away from your business for two weeks without a major disaster, it's time to redesign your business to give you more freedom.
Think about revisiting your systems and processes. Which operating tools are working well, and which ones aren't? What tools are saving you time by doing the heavy lifting, and what tools are holding you back?
Building streamlined systems and automated processes will create freedom for you in ways that were previously unimaginable. You'll have the flexibility and freedom to design your business around your lifestyle. You'll have confidence that things won't fall apart with you. You'll have the framework to grow your business to new heights and you'll have the building blocks to take you to your next level of success.
So what could business freedom look like for you?
