Business Owners Need A To-Don’t List
Let’s talk about what we think it means to be the CEO of our business.
It’s Easy Right?
Give yourself the title and do all the things.
Work harder than the competition.
Because you don't have a 9-5, you have a 24/7.
And your dream is worth more than sleep.
24/7? You Aren’t 7-11
These are dangerous narratives encouraged by a festering hustle culture that portrays overworking as virtuous. I bought into it for years. There were times that I was PROUD of working a 80+ hour weeks in my previous businesses. I was hustling alright, but I was also worn out, sleep deprived, and had little time for anything outside of work and late-night dinners. If this was the path to success, it quite frankly sucked.
Now, with much enlightenment and years of business experience behind me, I approach my company and the role that I play within it in a completely different way.
Meredith, my co-founder, and myself decided from day one to be the CEOs of Sparent. This means we work more ON our business than IN our business. We are continuously removing ourselves from day-to-day operations so that we can focus on the things only we can do as the leaders and visionaries of our business.
Working yourself to exhaustion is not the price you have to pay to achieve business success.
Prioritizing work above family, friends, hobbies, mental health, self care, personal joy, and sleep is toxic and a complete misrepresentation of how to build a sustainable business.
Do you have to work hard to build a business? Absolutely. But working hard on the RIGHT THINGS is different than overworking ourselves because we've been told, "good things come to those who hustle" or because being busy feels a lot like success. And working hard does not mean we break our backs.
Let's Stop Making Ridiculous Sacrifices In The Name Of Success
Ok… deep breath. Let’s talk about how being the CEO of your business is anti-hustle. We consider it a mindset more than a title. Embracing your role as CEO is an approach to business that ensures that you are running your company, not the other way around. You are backing that mindset up with concrete business principles that include systems, SOPs, deep delegation, and ethical leadership.
"Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent, and not enough time on what is important." - Steven Covey
Instead of To-DO lists, CEOs have a TO-DON'T list. CEOs are clear on the responsibility they have for the growth and development of their company. To succeed at that high degree of responsibility, knowing what they Don't Do is critically important so they can maintain their focus as leader and visionary.
CEOs aren't ruled by lengthy TO Do lists because they understand that to lead their business they can't be bogged down in daily operations. Removing themselves from day-to-day tasks means they can focus on business development which ultimately creates more opportunities for others, has a bigger impact, and is positioned to scale.
If your business is young, you will be involved in daily operations while your time resource is greater than your revenue resource. But, as CEO, you will be planning and preparing a strategy for removing yourself from day-to-day operations as your business grows. In other words, from day one you can be creating your To-Don't List.
What Will Be On Your To-Don't List in 2022?
We understand that it is uncomfortable to consider being less involved in the operations of your business.
Approaching your business like a CEO often means shifting out of the comfort zone of an employee or business owner mindset.
Meredith and I have been there and understand the discomfort. We also know that growth and comfort rarely coexist.
We promise you that if you want to build a business that supports your lifestyle and revenue goals, you have to be the CEO, and you have to delegate and DO LESS if you want to make more of an impact with your business.
If any of this resonates with you, don’t miss our next 90-minute CEO Task Mapping Workshop
In this live, interactive workshop over Zoom, you will learn our process for categorizing and prioritizing everything in your business so you know exactly what you, as the CEO, should focus on now and what you need to delegate in order to accomplish that. If you have ever struggled with figuring out what to focus on, this workshop is a game changer!