Published: March 29th, 2018; By: Judi Hughes
There is actually a dictionary definition for Chief Cook & Bottle Washer – ‘A person who is in charge but who also has to attend to the details and menial tasks.’
I looked it up the other day because I was sure that was the position I had taken on. Ever feel that way?
When you first started your business you probably needed to be the Chief Cook & Bottle Washer. However, I guarantee you cannot grow your business if you won’t let go of that position.
Are you:
- Feeling swamped and unproductive much of the time?
- Not getting to important things that could grow your business?
- Missing opportunities because there just aren’t enough hours in a day?
If so, you need to stop being the Chief Cook & Bottle Washer and hire some good Admin Support!
We repeatedly recommend the first person you should bring on to your team be someone who loves to support others – that being you – and who is a totally organized professional administrator with no client delivery responsibility.
When we make this recommendation there is often a look of horror. The thought of hiring someone who has no revenue earning expectation is often totally overwhelming and seemingly a foolish expense.
After all, you are the Chief Cook & Bottle Washer – you know how to do everything that needs to be done. You can do it yourself. And, exactly how are you going to pay for this person?
Consider, what would you do if you didn’t need to do all those administrative things that take up your time?
How much better would your business run if someone else was looking after the day-to-days and you were able to do what you do best?
I hope your answer is – I’d get on with things to grow my business. I’d stop working weekends!
You can get on with stuff like … networking, speaking engagements, building partnerships, planning your growth, hiring the next revenue earner, developing new products – and more!
The real question is – can you afford not to hire good admin support?
- Start the process of hiring now. Use this Job Description as a point of reference to build your own Job Description.
- Here are some guidelines for bringing the right people on your team.
- Remember – this is an important role. It doesn’t have to be a full-time “in-house” person. This can be a Virtual Assistant (VA), a combination of bookkeeper and VA or permanent part-time.
- Be diligent – Don’t fall into the trap of hiring someone simply because you don’t want to pay more than minimum wage or your neighbour’s daughter is looking for work.
In his book ‘E-Myth Revisited’ Michael Gerber says, “If your business depends on you, you don’t own a business – you have a job.”
The place to start is by letting someone else who is really good do the “back stage” activities, freeing your time to learn and to grow your business into the success you want it to be.
If you haven’t hired before and you are feeling a bit unsure; here are ‘7 Steps to Successful Recruitment’.
Enjoy your new position as Business Owner!
As always, feel free to contact us directly. We’d love to hear from you.
