When your job owns you

micro-manager syndrome??

 

You need to HIT THE PANIC! BUTTON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

There is no getting away. Business success/failure is always on my mind. Every minute of everyday, I am thinking of different ways to approach both customers and vendors, even on my days "off" or up in NJ for the weekend.

Creating and mainting a great business is my only mindset, and will continue to be until I have a 10,000sq ft warehouse with 10 employees who can do my job, and I trust to do my job.

 

Maybe take a break form calling so many people in one day. Why not spread your work load more evenly over the course of the week, and when time is closeing in, make only the calls to your most important clients and leave the others with brief but polite messages that you will be incontact ASAP. I do the same with all my customers. My top clients get the best treatment and I'm sure to be in contact with them when I say i will be. The others I will contact when I have the time to do so. But I try to make it a point to do my call backs with in 48hrs.

 

I understand what you are saying..but you cannot let them control your time. They are a potential client yes..and they do require time to bring in. But the way I see it, if these people are taking so much of your time to bring in, and they still have not commited to anything, then they are now costing you money, and giving you a headach. I have learned that the best thing to do business wise is to remove the headachs and the time wasters. Basicly cut the fat and get to the meat which would be the potentail customer that seems the most likely to purchase. Get him in first, then go after the others.

 

I have found that when i am working around the clock on endless cycles, i take meaningful breaks. Not vacations, exactly, because frankly, i get bored too. But, grab two days and go driving; book a flight to a place you've always wanted to go, stay in a great hotel and do whatever moves you. A couple days of re-charging doing what really pulls you will make you feel far more rested than a couple weeks away, worrying and checking-in. Given today's technology, it's almost impossible to get away, but you can make it work for you: who is to know that the email you are sending is from a remote mountain top in Jamaica?
That is also why the super high end hotels have a clientele, apart from the rich, aimless and celebrities. Many folks i meet at getaway places are doing precisely that- a few days snuck in between work cycles. I often had my wife join me on these trips, rendezvous in Paris, or San Francisco, or Stockholm, or Amsterdam, or whatever. It actually helped our relationship through a period when i was travelling endlessly.
Also, if you are into things like massage- i found that invaluable as a stress breaker even when on a work cycle; i would take a break from meetings, have an hour or more massage, and a little nap, and return refreshed to keep cranking.

 

This sentence says it all.

The belief that "no one can do it as well" is actually contradictorary to success. You CAN find someone who can do it even BETTER, but you've got to check the ego at the door.

Good Luck.

-Chris

 

Pete,

At least they won't care if you left the toilet seat up!

DL

 

That person will never care (as much as you) without equity.

DL

 

Or the fear I have in hiring someone... they will figure the business out and do it on their own.

 

Chris, it DOES take a LONG time to find this person. Peter, you are going to go through a couple of people and a fair amount of frustration before this happens unfortunately.

I was caught in the same situation and went through 2 people over the course of 5 months. I had my largest potential client tell me "You should really get someone that knows what they are talking about to call on potential customers, that person you have now is okay for appointment setting, but..."

The other one didn't do ANY work, called in sick for himself or because his parents were sick or because it was a holiday, or a tuesday or another day that ended in "y".

I finally have a couple of people that I can fully rely on and it is a lifesaver, they are both infinitely capable, learned the business autonomously and need VERY little direction. In fact, they help ME with ideas much of the time.

Take the time. Find the people. Don't burn yourself out.

Above all else, good luck. You have my respect.

Nick

 

This statement will kill your business, I have had many people go out and start their own. Who cares, I wish them the best, and have even done business with them afterwards. You cannot worry about that. Its going to happen.

 

Want to hear sick? I hate it when there is a three day weekend. I work 12 hours a day during the week and then go in for a few hours on Sat&Sun. Have a streak going where I have not taken a vacation day or sick day in over 8 years. Unlike you I have a pretty component office staff and my assistant who is a women can go out into the factory and kick ass. Problem is I am a control freak who wants to be on top of everything. The good part of all this is that my wife likes me to buy my cars or bikes as she knows every little drive I take is my mini vacation. For your business to grow you must take the chance and hire someone, Then every once in a while in the middle of the day you need to jump in your car and go for a ride and that will remind you of why you are working your butt off

 

That's what playing nine holes is for.

DL

 

It isn't easy, but it can be done and at some point your growth will necessitate it.

Maybe you'd rather wait and start looking for someone right before you have a nervous breakdown, I don't know. IMHO, start putting the feelers out now!

-Chris

 

Peter congrats on your business. I think it's great you are so integrated into the business and enjoy it. Though, not to be critical, but I've always had the phillosophy that a business that is YOU really isn't a business. Something to keep in mind if you intend to value it or plan for a medical problem. IT is much better to try and find good employees now when time is on your side.

 

Hard work has become all consuming for me as of late. I don't even own my own business; I just love what I am doing right now. I find myself working 70-80 hours a week, that’s about 30 more than anyone else at my company. I can't say that it is rewarding me with any more money...yet. People notice though, and they seem to appreciate it.

I hope to one day start my own company, I just need to get my professional engineers license first. Hopefully I enjoy it as much as I do my current work as I would love to see more fruits from my labour.

 

That kind of work ethic should make your business a success..... good luck.

BTW - Hard work is almost always noticed.

 

i haven't been at work since Friday; i'm going through with withdrawal...