How I Realised Being a Control Freak was Stressing Me Out, Holding Me Back And Stopping My Business From Thriving

It was 11 o’clock on a Friday night and everyone I knew was having a good time but I still had a huge pile of invoices to process and I was going nowhere.?

Don’t get me wrong, the fact I had a huge pile of invoices was a good thing! Business was coming in but unfortunately it was coming in faster than I could handle. I was exhausted, fed up and seriously wondering if I was doing the right thing.?

I’d started the business because I loved working with clients but the admin was overwhelming me and I was really rubbish at admin but it seemed to be taking up all my time and energy!

You ever get stressed about all the things you have to do to get your new business working because you’re really not sure that you know enough to make it happen?

Sure, you’re really good at the service you offer your clients but as a start up you’re quickly learning that’s really only a small part of running a successful business.

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As a new business owner, especially if you are fresh from the corporate world where you had teams and whole departments to help you with answers to things you didn’t know or that were out of your skill set, it’s perfectly normal to feel overwhelmed and sometimes even completely incompetent!

I know I did when I was struggling by myself with accounts, invoicing and admin.

And because I really hated doing it I would leave these essential tasks to the last minute, putting myself under even more pressure and stress when I finally forced myself to sit down and get it done, because if I didn’t the money would stop flowing in and things would get very messy rather quickly.

In the early stages being able to do everything you need to do can often seem completely impossible and overwhelming.

And being a new business owner can feel very lonely.

However I found a new way where I didn’t have to do it all myself and I could build a team that filled in all the gaps that I couldn’t manage myself.?

Before I reveal that to you, you first need to understand that it doesn’t need to be that complicated.?

You just have to accept that you are not an absolute genius at everything and the faster you learn to let go, the faster things will flow.

And, as a result of what I learned as a struggling stressed out start up I created my Love/Hate method.

“Doing the Love/Hate Process was an absolute revelation to me and my team. In just a very short time we were able to see where the bottlenecks were and who could fix them so everyone was working at what they loved and were most effective. Except washing the coffee cups. No one loves that!”

Nera - Financial Services?

This method allows my clients to discover what their zones of genius are, work on them as much as possible and delegate everything else.

Knowing how to delegate successfully and appropriately is critical to your success as a business owner.?

More importantly it’s essential to your mental health so this is not an area you can ignore if you want your business to thrive for the long term.

Now, remember, and think back to the story of my admin woes.

Well, here’s the story behind that…

I knew that I was rubbish at admin and accounts so I found a really great bookkeeper and admin assistant who loved to do the jobs I hated and was really good at the things I was rubbish at.?

But it wasn't just as simple as finding staff and delegating! I had to find people who loved to do the things I hated and let go of my ego telling me I should be better at this and just suck it up and do it.

I remember when I first hired my lovely bookkeeper Tina. I was just a little bit intimidated by her and for the first week I felt really guilty giving her work to do because that meant admitting how much I’d messed up before she arrived!?

One day about a week after she started I found her sorting through my desk and pulling out everything she thought was relevant to her job.?

When I started to protest she looked me straight in the eye and said “Susan please stop feeling guilty for giving me work to do just because you hate doing it. I LOVE this stuff. I really enjoy it. This is why I’m here.”

It sounds crazy but that was a total revelation to me! People loved to do the things I hate!

I then started looking at all the other aspects of my business that I wasn’t absolutely brilliant at and, as fast as I could, I took on new people to ace those tasks. As my team grew things started to move faster and more smoothly and because everyone was working in their own zone of genius everyone was happy and fulfilled and feeling good about the fact that they were making a positive contribution to the business.

I let go of my need to control everything and instead enjoyed focusing on serving my clients and growing my business.?

I let go of my need to do everything and found my team got things done way faster and better than I ever could have.?

And I let go of the need to beat myself up for the tasks I really wasn’t good at and find joy in the things I could do brilliantly.?

My stress levels went way down and I was able to have a successful business and a life.?

Something I would have said was impossible just a few months earlier!

If you want to see the Love/Hate Method in action

Message me with the word “Genius".

Speak soon,

Susan “Genius” Castle