My karate school is my very first business. It’s my baby. So admittedly, sometimes I have a hard time letting go.
But that is still no reason to abandon ship and do something crazy…like someone else’s job.
It was a Saturday morning, and I was watching classes from the side. One of my main instructors was rocking out the beginner group like a champion, and I was still recovering from my vasectomy. I shouldn’t have been there, but I was. I should have been sitting down and resting my testicles. I really didn’t NEED to be there. All systems were in place, and my team was doing everything they were suppose to. In a moment of weakness, I grabbed a stack of paperwork that needed to be entered into our software program, and began…. data entry. Maybe I needed to feel busy. Maybe I wanted to be useful. Important. Ahead of the game? Who knows…
Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I’m shaking my head too.
Here’s the problem.
If you are a business owner, and want to grow your business, open additional locations, or just make your current operation the most kick-ass business EVER, then you need to remember the 5% rule:
Only do the things that only you can do.
Read that again. A few times. 95% of everything else gets delegated to trained staff.
Trim the fat. Are you paying bills? Stop it. Opening mail? Bad dog. Running errands? Heaven help you. Putting away inventory? Well…there’s a special place in hell for you.
Quick hacks:
Answering the phone? Create a script and role play it until your team can answer the phone like you.
Responding to emails? Write out the email the way you want it and let them copy and paste.
Daily responsibilities that must be done? Create a checklist, and put them on task.
Social media marketing? Show them how you want it and when, and then let them sore!
I’m serious. There is a job that only you as the business owner can do. THAT’S your job. Anything and everything else, train someone else to do it. Your job is to work ON your business, not IN the business.
Only do the things that only you can do.
Back to the story of that fateful Saturday. I entered the first name in the field, and it immediately dawned on me what needed to be said and done. “Fuck that shit” is a perfectly acceptable replacement for “no”. I texted my assistant to make sure she was planning on doing them Monday, she scolded me for micro-managing, and I put the paperwork to the side and opened a new tab in Evernote. I needed to wash my hands of the task and quickly get back on track. If I was so intent on working, it needed to be on my 5%.
That afternoon, I wrote 4 blog articles that had been brewing in my head.
Including this one.
5%.
Take away: Start asking yourself on a regular basis, Is this part of my 5%? Am I doing ONLY that which only I can do?