Got the Business Owner Blues?

Got the 'Business Owner Blues?'
ii':r'':'or many business o\,vners,
in
as
litt1e
as
r:lr: two to three r.ears (ar-rd regardless of tl-re
leve1 offlnancral success achieved), the enrr.el.r,'n.'trli:rl .Jrc.rm of frccdom. ind, pcnJcncc
ar.rd wealth has u'arped into a partial nigl.rtnare. Tl-re rvish to be m:rsrel of their destiny
Irrs Jc9611cr-311d irrro rhcrrr L.cing r.l,rvc r,..r
their business, their emplol'ees and their
clrstomers. Tl-re fire in their be1ly has l.een
JONATHAN
GOLDHILL
CEO
The Goldhill Group
rc1rl3..6 br r grou irrg rrrrcrsine' irr rlr,.ir gur.
Does this clescribe 1.ou at all?
Habitualh', many of vorr are still wor-king roo many horrr.s, u'earing
too many hats, and handling too manv things. As your business
has grown, 1'our fun and fulfillmenr have nor. In fact, nosr of yorr
sr-rffer- from the generalized fcelings of anxiety, menral f;rrigue, and
of being trappcd in tl.re brrsiness. For- sake of srnplicitv, I have
termecl tl'rese feelings, tl're business olvner blues.
For
r c,rrs, 1-otr havc dcluded yourself. You kept telling vourself that
one dav vor-r would get caught up, s1or4' down, and have rnore fiee
time io do oth.,r things. Th:rt rhe "b1ues" r,votrld evenruallv fade.
Irr r,:rlitr. rhc:ixtr lo sc\cntv horrr rn.rlkuccks iuntirrrrc. TlrL.srr.s:
continues. You c:rn't even escape the busir-ress fbr a fer.r, relaxing,
no-r'vork d:rvs. You sti1l scranrble like a hvperactive squirrel
preparing for a 1-rarsh r.r'inter.
Furtheln-rore, \'o1l :lre con-ring to realize t1-rat being a r,r.orkaholic,
mlcro-manager, control fre:rk, dictator or hands-on technician does
not lvork, and is a miserable way to fl-ur :r business mr-rch less le:rd
-
life. Wolking halder, acring rougher, or bcing more involr,t,d vvirh
daill' demils is not the parh ro grearer freedom, joy, or peace-ofmind. Rather, it is a guaranteed parh to burn orrr.
e
How did vou ger to this poinr? Odds
are, you u/ere a gifred rechni_
cian who caught the "entrepreneurial bug" sevelal vears ago and
started, acqrrired, or inherited a br_rsiness
one rhar mir-rors \-our
-
technic:r1
skills and experience. Now,
If vou're
l-ronest, business orvnership is prob:rbly qLrite differenr
vou rrlr franric:rllr- ro
ntlintlin contlol of rorrr grou ing conrl\rnv. vou .lr-( Iikclr orcru'orkecl, ovelrvhelmed and suffering from a full-blo*n c"r. .rf r1-l.
"business orvner blues." You feel like a prisoner to
1-our busrness.
As it grorvs, r'ou lvork harder and become deeper enslaved.
as
from r.vhar you expected and from what yon have been prepared
to I'randle. If not held in check, rhc vcrr-.tr.r,grl'r. thar maie you
a
technician (det:ril orientation, hancls-on doer, technical
expertise, da1-1o-4"U fbcus, etc.) can be real liabilrnes ro vou.
successfr-rl
Technical expertise alone is never suflicient to brrild and rnanaq., a
healthv and profitable business. You must provide rhe vision an.l
adership of a Chief Executiye OfTicer (CEO) and the or..lcr :rnl
of a M:rnagt'r. You mlrsr ger stntegic to get fi.teJ \-Llr lnrlsr
learn to focus on the entire business, not mereiv the tt-chn:.11 .,rrk
le
svsterns
of the
br-rsiness.
You must elevate youlmindset.
For example, being
AQUA,FLO
a good landscaper contrasrecl u'irh .-::-.--::r; .rrcl
operating a successful lanciscaping business are r\1.,r JLi : _-- - . rlJ:
and sets of challenges. Each role recluires vtrv drff.r.:r ::-_ :--i-..r:
and skill sets. To be eflective, the latter requires 5rrrr.i:: --,...r.ship; the former recluires rechnical "doel-shi;..'lu.r ---. ,.- Lr
knon,hovr to clo the dailv techr-rical work of l:rn.l.c-.- - i _- r.r1 r
qualifl'you to design, buil.l and mxnage a brrsin..s. .;
rvork of 1ar-rdscaping. Thrs is a fatal assumprlon rn.i:
Committed to Exceptional Custonter Service
. In'igation Products
. Environmental
. lJtility
Piping
:
. Pond Supplies
' Outdoor Lighting '1-\
. Commercial
Goleta (805) 967-2374
.
Ojai (805) 646-i244
Santa Barbara (805) 897-t t66
West L.A. (3 10) 9 1 5-5208 . Ventura (805 ) 676- I 1 14
Sanra Ciarita (661) 251-0909
.
Torance (3 l0) 782-0355
August
2009
T-he Cl:annel
rl,.
If vou are a technician masquerading
vor-r've dr-rg mav burl'1,es1
as an
o\\n.r. l-. r.-.-;1.-l'11.,.
You Iaye rlr.. '.':...__ :Lr-:p..rr\-c
and are doing the wrong rlpe of work. Becau:...Lr..r lrc. confortable with, and good at doing, the technical u..i-k .-.g.. landsc:rping),
br- default:rnd out of habit, as yollr colnpill\'{j-!r\.,5. \.ori r.l,i1l encl
up doing more ancl rnore landscapir-rg r.r.ork. )'rrr,i urll flnd it hard
to escape the fi'antic pace. Soon, the busincss *ri1 havt- vou held
l.rostage. Yor-r u'i1l forevel be trapped bel.rinJ rhe .litch rvirch or
hoverir-rg over a dving p1ant. Whv? Btcaus.'\'olrr Lrrrsiness is broken
tool You are not functioning a, a .rr.r,lic 1.,r.,n.r, .ro,rer.
Need a cure for the blues) Give me a call or em:ril.
Water Management
8
- - -,
entrepreneurs rnake.
ditch
Solutions
-
..,..r.,:_r---.,
Islands Clipper
Jonathan ColdhiLL, aka The Crov,th Coall, bads ptr grotqs and wtbinnr cksvs
business ot ners artdfllanagers m tlx landstay tndustr',1,, His progrars help
Jor
l:is clinrts betome ntortJontvd, efettivc and sh.ategtt so thry nct like owners ard
lilanagers. To lenrn ntore al,out hk r.tnique group and .indhidual toachrrgprograrns
visit wyvw,TheColdhillCroup.com. lonathan mn be reathed dt (Et8) 716-6626
or J o n @The Col dhillCr oup. rcm.
w