Time for All The Important Things
When you launch a business, you tend to wear all the hats: Sales and Marketing, Bookkeeping, Clerical, Copywriting, and of course, doing the actual client work, whether it’s performing a service or providing a product. As time goes on and the business grows, you might start hiring people to help with certain tasks, but at what point do you start letting go of the big stuff like Bookkeeping, Copywriting, Budgeting, or Marketing? At what point do you realize your time is finite, and growth depends on finding a way to give yourself more time?
Sure, it’s scary to trust someone else with what you’ve built. You’ve heard the horror stories, no matter which aspect of the business was turned over to someone else. It all comes down to the same thing. You have to do a bit of research before engaging anyone. The best way to do that is to develop relationships with other entrepreneurs and small business owners before you’re ready to turn a part of your business, no matter how small, over to them or someone they recommended.
The bottom line, though is you have a finite amount of time and need to use it as effectively as possible. That means focusing your attention, not only on what you do best, but on what you like doing the best.
This may sound counter intuitive, but the truth is you do your best work when you’re liking, or even loving what you’re doing. Whether you realize it or not, if you’re doing something you hate, you’ll drag our heels or worse, procrastinate. Meanwhile, you’re wasting perfectly good time which could be better used doing something where you’ll be at maximum efficiency because you’re enjoying yourself.
Networking is Time Well Spent if You Use it Properly
If you’re an extrovert, networking is probably a no-brainer. You network every time you have 
a conversation with friends, co-workers, acquaintances, or strangers. Even if you’re not working from a plan, you make connections and learn a lot about people. But for introverts like me, you need to find more effective ways to get the word out about your business and learn about what others are doing. There might be a service provider out there doing something you never even considered outsourcing.
I’ve learned networking isn’t just about selling or finding people to sell to. It’s a great source for learning what products and services are available to make your life simpler. It’s also a good place to clarify your own positioning in your industry.
One of the things I’m learning from #GorillaArmyNation (#GAN for short) is the time you spend networking is invaluable, but it’s also not about you. Networking, whether you do it on line or face-to-face is an opportunity to learn about potential clients, potential service providers, even potential future employees. It’s a time to give more than you take, and listen more than you talk. Landon Porter, the head Gorilla often compares networking, or really, relationship building to dating. If you go in guns a-blazing and do nothing but talk about yourself, you’re unlikely to get a positive response.
If instead, you read the room and spend time listening to what others in the room are saying, you’ll gain valuable insight, not only into what everyone is doing, but the group culture too, and that alone is invaluable.
Networking Do’s and Don’ts
Take the person who attends an event in someone’s home. He barges in, starts talking loudly 
and over everyone, puts his hands on the walls, and tromps around like he owns the place. He bumps into people unapologetically, interrupts conversations in progress, drops food on the floor, or spills a drink. He doesn’t even notice when people start pulling away from him, or leaving a conversation when he joins.
He’s not going to learn anything important about anyone because no one will talk to him long enough to share, even if he gave them a chance to speak. He’s also unlikely to be invited back due to his lack of respect for the host’s home.
If you want to make the most of the experience, you’d be better served to enter the room and first, seek out the host to thank him (or her) for the invitation. You’d listen in on a conversation or two to get a feel for the outlook and mindset of the participants. At an appropriate time, you might introduce yourself and ask a thoughtful question based on what you’ve heard.
Most of all, you’d watch and learn. You’d see who people tended to defer to; who the influencers were. You might get a few business cards so you could do a little research later on. In short, you’d make the most of the time you’re given with a new group of people without shoving yourself in their faces.
Using Networking to Find More Time
I know I’ve gone a little off-topic, but if you want to build your business and outsource successfully the first time, you need to spend time networking. It’s unavoidable, and could mean the difference between hiring the right person at the right price, or the wrong person who might be cheaper, but will ultimately cost you far because they lack an understanding of your requirements.
The ultimate goal, in my opinion, of expanding your business and making more time is to give you the lifestyle you envisioned, and for most of us, that isn’t working 24/7. You need time for self-care; time for leisure. You won’t get that if you feel you have to constantly check up on the people you hire to make sure they’re representing you according to your expectations. You’ll spend more time checking other peoples’ work than you would have doing it yourself. Time spent getting to know people on the front end pays huge dividends later, while foregoing that time is likely to cost you dearly. Instead of gaining time, you’ll bury yourself even deeper.
Where do you go to learn more about expanding your business? How do you find qualified people to assume the responsibilities you hate? Please share a couple of the resources you’ve found to be effective. Many of us are on the lookout for new places to network.
How Can I Help You Find More Time?
I’d love to help you learn about opportunities to expand your business without having to find
more time in your already crowded day. The conversation is no obligation, and I won’t try to sell you anything. I understand the need to gather information and am happy to spend some time sharing what I’ve learned.
If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing your Accounting, Budgeting and Forecasting, please visit my Virtual Business Consulting Page here.
If you’d like to learn more about outsourcing your copywriting, please visit my Writing Services page.
Are you struggling to keep all of your entrepreneurial balls in the air? Would you like to take a task or two off your plate? Maybe it’s content creation, or perhaps it’s getting your books in order and creating a budget. If this sounds familiar and you’re ready to streamline your life and give your business space to grow and thrive, CONTACT ME and let’s talk!
About the Author
Sheri Conaway is a writer, blogger, ghostwriter, and advocate for cats. Sheri believes in the Laws of Attraction, 
but only if you are a participant rather than just an observer. Her mission is to Make Vulnerable Beautiful and help entrepreneurs touch the souls of their readers and clients so they can increase their impact and their income. If you’d like to have her write for you, please visit her Hire Me page for more information. You can also find her on Facebook Sheri Levenstein-Conaway Author. And check out her new group, Putting Your Whole Heart Forward.
Be sure to watch this space for news of the upcoming release of “Life Torn Asunder: Rebuilding After Suicide”.
