The Joy of Business

You might be doing a double-take on the title of this blog if you are a small business owner.  For most, the stress, work hours, and financial reward don’t seem to fit within the definition of “joy”.  If you find yourself spending large amounts of time dealing with employee conflict, quality issues or even getting your financials squared away, you may not be feeling the joy.

As a business coach and small business owner myself, I can relate.  But I can also tell you that as a business gets more “systematized”, the problems start to melt away, the rewards go up, and the business becomes joyful.  It is oh so gratifying when the efforts to build a well-run business start to pay off.

The idea of systematizing a business may seem understandable on a conceptual level, but what are these systems anyway?  Well, in simple terms, they are anything that the business does, or needs to do consistently that become like habits in the business such that they are duplicable by anyone performing those systems.  Here are just a few systems that are crucial in most businesses:

·        A tactical marketing plan that consistently generates leads you can turn into customers.

·        A set of Key Performance Indicators that act as a “dashboard” that helps you drive your business.

·        A team building strategy that keeps your employees aligned with the direction of the company and eliminates conflict.

·        A business efficiency strategy that improves profitability and builds a mindset of continuous improvement.

·        A financial recordkeeping system that accurately records the activities of the business and reflects its value.

Naturally, there are others, but the point is that the old adage of working ON your business, means building these kinds of systems or habits into the day-to-day operations such that the stress and worry start to disappear, while the financial and personal gratification rewards rise.  When that happens, a real sense of joy (and pride) takes over, and we become even more motivated to make our business better yet.

The greatest joy as a coach is the sharing of that great feeling with clients who experience the benefits of a systematized business.  It takes time, but helping business owners work ON their business is a journey worth taking in order to reach the joy of business!