If you have been successful at selling your product or your services, your business has likely grown over time, so you need more employees, more space, defined process and systems, and you probably need a vacation.

Because you have been a great designer, handyman or sales person there can be a strong pull to keep doing that work even after your business has grown after all its what you love to do, it is what you are good at. This is an example of working in your business. This happens to most if not all small business owners at one stage or another.

You may feel overwhelmed and overworked because you're trying to take care of all areas in your business (making sales, your finances, customer service issues, even cleaning the toilets, etc).

You are like a one- man show even when there are people there working for you! This scenario is typical but it is not healthy for either you, your employees or the growth of your business. Why? Because you can only grow as big as your own ability to handle, everything and you most likely need to get a life.

Its time to stop working in your business as a technician and start working on your business as an owner!

Here are a few steps to get you started. Take a hard look at yourself and ask whether you are working in your business or on it.

?Ask yourself ?what are the two most important areas for me to focus on?? Are you sure? Are these in or on the business issues?

?Now spend two hours a day at a minimum focusing on your top two ?on the business issues?.

?Make a commitment to remove yourself from repetitive tasks and assign them to competent employees.

?You may need to redefine job descriptions, roles and accountabilities.

?Be accountable to someone like a business coach or a key employee on a regular basis about the time you spend working on your business.

Working on your business will include activities such as;

?Strategic planning for the next few years

?Anticipating industry trends and positioning your company

?Documenting business operating systems

?Writing and implementing your marketing plan

?Budgets and projections, recruiting and hiring key employees, evaluating your company culture.

?Creating a plan for the culture you want and seeing it implemented

?Networking in your community

?Training for you and your employees

These are the activities that will keep your business healthy and growing, allowing your employees to thrive and develop. Best of all bringing you more time, freedom and probably more money!