Where Are Your Hats? [video]

Transcript:

In a recent episode of my Joyfully Designed micro podcast, I was talking about how you don't know what you don't know and the epiphany that I had when I realized that there was way too much that I didn't know, I didn't know. And what a disadvantage that is when it comes to entrepreneurship, solopreneurship.

Compounded with the fact that we're often wearing so many hats — too many hats of all shapes and sizes, juggling lots of balls in the air, spinning loads of plates.

It's a lot.

There's just so much going on and not enough time, and a lot of that 'you don't know what you don't know.' But working for yourself, especially if you're working from home, there can be a bazillion challenges. It's like you're trying to be a marketing expert, tech whiz, and customer service pro, all wrapped up in one.

And it just goes on and on.

I don't know about you, but to me, It seems like time is so sped up that if I'm not hyper-focused, my day can just go out the window — like that.

It's insane.

But I was looking at my bookshelf earlier, and it made me think about how some books have made a difference in how I run my business. The E Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber is a really insightful book. I'd listened to it as an audiobook about two decades ago, and I was blown away because, at that point in my business, I was just learning as much as I could when I could. The internet — it's nothing like it is today — a lot of my learning came from library books and audiobooks. The one thing that I took from that book was just how crucial it is to have well-defined systems and processes in your business — to be able to have everything just set up so that if something happens to you, another person can come in and pick things up.

It's like having a well-oiled machine for your business. And it's something that I've tried to do on and off for years and should really take the time to be more disciplined at it.

Documenting your procedures as you're doing these tasks that may just seem so easy to you, can make a huge difference if somebody else has to step in.

I have a client portal where all of the notes, all the files — everything to do with the projects that I work on, are in that portal. From hosting details, email hosting details, the fonts, color palette, and specific photos that I've been given — everything's in that client portal.

If something did happen to me, somebody would be able to come in and know exactly where that company's website resides, the inner workings — like any nuances on the platform it was designed on, and a whole lot more.

So, that's a great book. It's advice is front-loaded though. You do have to do a lot of recording at the beginning when you've got all these processes to list out — you're making checklists — but it does make everything flow so well. You've just got to get over that initial hump.

That's the challenge.

And then there's Atomic Habits by James Clear. The power of habits and boosting productivity, like time blocking, to be completely focused on your work or automating routine tasks, that's huge.

Just the little tweaks can end up giving you big gains in efficiency.

And if you think about it, if you're spending all this time changing your hats, spinning plates, juggling balls, you've got a lot more time and room to focus on what truly matters, not just in business, but in your personal life as well - once you have these gains.

And then there's Virtual Freedom by Chris Ducker. Being able to delegate is a lot easier to do if you've got systems and processes in place. If you've got training videos and checklists, having virtual assistants, someone that can just handle those time-consuming tasks that are not really impactful to your bottom line, but need to get done — they can put their energy into doing that so you can put your energy into things that have a bigger impact.

Ultimately, you're the captain of your ship, but a VA can definitely help you steer that ship more smoothly than if you're trying to do it with one hand while you're juggling and spinning and changing hats, and whatever else one does as a small business owner!

I know the struggle. Every day is different. And I wouldn't have it any other way. I wouldn't want to work for somebody else and build their dreams. I want to build my own into reality. It's not easy, but it is so rewarding.

And if you're on the same journey with me, you know that to be true. And, ultimately, for me, the joy just comes from knowing that...

it's all on my terms.

AI generated these questions to ponder:

1. Have you ever had a moment where you realized there was so much you didn't know? How did you react to that realization?

2. How do you manage wearing multiple hats in your business or personal life? Do you find it challenging to juggle different responsibilities?

3. Have you read any books or resources that have made a significant impact on how you run your business? If so, which ones and what lessons did you take away from them?

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More like this? Come visit my li'l home on the web at Joyfully Designed.

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