What truly inspires you? Knowing your “why”? Scaling the impossible? Seeing others be successful? Gaining ground on your own goals? For many, knowing – REALLY KNOWING.
You can’t do this by yourself. There. I said it.
As a CEO, you probably already know that. But all too often, we still find ourselves still doing everything in our businesses. So how can you actually work less, be more productive, and grow your business in the meantime? You can scale your business.
What does it mean to scale? A lot of people think it means to take your business down to size so it’s manageable for just you. On the contrary, scaling means expanding in a sustainable way. Scaling means scaling YOUR workload in order to make room for growth.
This can look different to every business. Sometimes it means tearing down ineffective systems. It may mean redoing something or shifting what you’re currently doing. If you aren’t getting the results you want, or if you are too stretched as a leader, something needs to change. So here are 3 ways all CEOs can scale their businesses for quantum growth:
- Delegate
There’s no such thing as a self-made millionaire. It’s a lofty, enchanting, romantic sort of idea, but an inaccurate one not even remotely grounded in reality.
You need a team.
If you’re going to grow, you’re going to do it with others helping you. So how can you go about delegating effectively? First, start with yourself. Consider: Where are the areas in your enterprise that feel daunting to you?
Do you struggle with operations?
Do you get tied up doing the numbers?
Is it excruciating to be in crowds of people?
Conversely, what excites you about your business?
Do you love networking?
Are you a natural accountant?
Do you enjoy marketing?
This is simple: Whatever you are good at, DO THAT. But conversely, whatever you aren’t good at, DON’T!
In order to do that, you’ll need to intentionally delegate. This can be hard for some people because it can sometimes mean admitting what we perceive to be an area of weakness in ourselves.
Now, there is nothing wrong with seeking self-improvement and trying to fine-tune areas of weakness! On the other hand, we all have natural strengths for a reason – NOBODY can do it all by themselves. Nor should they.
Think about it. If you got to come to work every day and only do the things that you love, you’d be a very happy, satisfied CEO, wouldn’t you? If it seems unrealistic, I assure you it’s not. Because when everyone gets to come to work every day and do what they love, growth is inevitable!
Think of it like this: Are you “operating in your strengths?” Or are you operating in “trying to fix my weaknesses?” See the difference? Focus your energy on finding the right people to do the jobs you need in your business.
- Take More Breaks
This may seem counterintuitive, but hear me out. You need a break. In fact, you need many breaks, and you need to schedule them intentionally.
If you’re finding yourself feeling exhausted from working so much and always feeling like you need a break, back up.
I’m certain that the reason you started your business was not to work yourself into oblivion! Examine the way you’ve been spending your time. Then, back up – and take a break. Intentionally.
Because you see, our minds work for us best when we allow them to rest and come up with the ideas and solutions without us trying to force them. So being intentional about taking breaks is actually HIGHLY productive for your business!
Once you’re energized by being away, you’ll find that engaging in your business again will be much easier. And, when you’re intentional about your breaks, you are automatically taking another step toward being intentional about your work time.
Budget your time more intentionally – don’t just organize your 40-hour workweek – unplug and take breaks.
- Make Marketing Easy
Marketing is essential for businesses, but it need not be difficult or expensive.
But think about this. If you are a service-based business, which the vast majority of businesses are, your marketing strategy is automatically going to be smaller simply due to the smaller target market you have. In service-based industries, you don’t need to reach thousands and thousands of people. What a relief, right?
Chances are, you already have all the leads you need to meet your goals – you just need to organize them! Your marketing strategy does not need to be especially difficult. You just need to reach the leads.
Marketing also does not need to be spendy. When I started my business, I went to networking groups, I cold-called, I set up free events, and I partnered with other organizations. I did not spend a lot of money on any of these things! They took some time, but they were not difficult or expensive. And they ultimately produced an enterprise that has brought in millions!
Scaling does not mean reducing the size of your business. It means expanding in a sustainable and profitable way! And isn’t that the reason you got into business in the first place?
Where can you start today? What do you need to scale?
