Is the Business of your Business interfering with your Business?

So you have a small business – congratulations! You are, as you’ve often been told, the backbone of our economy and the premise for our nation’s free enterprise. But in this day and age of timeliness or “drive through” mentality you may often wonder why you aren’t at the Bill Gates level of success; a stretch of the imagination for sure but you get my drift. You want it yesterday and with as little trouble as possible. It just ain’t gonna happen bud!

Seriously, one of the hurdles that small business owners get overwhelmed with is the management of their business; i.e. financials, personnel issues, attitudes, beatitudes, and financials. Did I mention finances? Worries over making payroll, market costs, business development costs, overhead costs, and a slew of others will drive us to an early and involuntary retirement. In a recent radio commercial a business owner was greeted by a colleague and when asked what the owner did, the owner rambled on about his daily management tasks until the colleague clarified the question from what the business of the owner’s business was to what type of business the owner had? Confused? Me too.

In the beginning the small business owner is focused, clear on the definition of the business and probably at least one market. However, shortly afterwards the other pitfalls become the focus. At this point the owner seriously needs a third or fourth eye on the business focus and the business of the business. Therein lays the financial concerns. The owner has to make the financial commitment to acquire that third or fourth eye, outside assistance consultant if you will, to ensure success of the business in its market.

If you’re lucky to have employees who can weigh in to assist, great; if not, make the decision to bring on a consultant – at the least a temporary cost and usually affordable, to help refine, filter, and analyze all of the information, as well as provide several options that the owner may focus on.

Business development consultants and business development organizations, like the ASBC, will give the small business owner guidance, support, and options to focus on the company’s growth and not the inevitable quagmire of managing the business of the business.