How the “DIY Mindset” is Killing Your Productivity and Growth

First comes Covid, then comes Recession? The job market has been tough for both job seekers and employers, and many businesses have had to make tough decisions regarding their staffing levels - we’ve all seen the almost daily headlines on LinkedIn highlighting the latest layoffs.

Is It Time to Hire?

That being said, I’m going to go against the grain here and say that it’s actually a great time to be hiring as a small business. There are so many qualified candidates looking for jobs and changing careers right now - especially if you can offer a hybrid or remote scenario, flexible schedule, & work-life balance.

Many business owners are focused on saving money, cutting costs, and preparing for the worst - while delaying hiring decisions and campaigns, and trying to push through with few resources or team. Sure, you can do a lot by yourself or with a small team, but leading your business with fear and scarcity is not a long term solution. This DIY mentality is holding you and your business back.

What’s the fastest way to burnout? I think you already know.

I know, because I’ve done it - burning the candle at both ends, maintaining biz dev & sales while balancing admin, operations & client implementation - scraping by, dropping a few minor balls here and there, repeating the mantra “this is temporary” ad nauseum for the last 6-8 months.

The key word there is “temporary” - because I refuse to let surviving become my norm. I want to THRIVE, and I want you to thrive too. If you feel like surviving has become your norm, you need to look at where and how your short-term decisions may be undermining your long-term goals — aka, self-sabotage… not just a relationship buzzword!

Just because you can — doesn’t mean you should!

We all have strengths and weaknesses, and there’s always someone else who can do it better. What’s my point? Work in your strengths, hire out your weaknesses.

Someone with a background in marketing can create a marketing strategy for my client faster than I can, with better results, for less money (and less stress) than the time it would take me to learn how to do it, actually do it, and then implement it. So, I don’t do marketing for my clients - I have referrals for that who are experts in their field and who work far more efficiently than I possibly could.

Similarly, I could spend hours at the end of the fiscal year, wrapping my head around separating my personal & business expenses, whether or not my son is my dependent or my ex’s, how my acting expenses/income play into things, etc. while hating every minute of filing my taxes. Hard pass!

I could have my team send me their hours every pay period, pay my own vendors, set up Quickbooks & create my own P&L every month - but I don’t. That’s not my strength, nor is it the best use of my time.

The time I used to spend tracking expenses, invoicing clients, prepping taxes, creating process documentation or reports, doing research, and other necessary-but-tedious administrative tasks, is now back on my calendar — freeing me up to do other things, that only I can do. Whether that’s spending time with friends and family or putting it back into my business, is up to me.

Yes, I’m spending money on team, but if they’re doing the same work for less than my hourly rate — in the long run, I’m saving money, and working more efficiently by refocusing my attention and energy on things that my team can’t do.

If you’re holding on to roles and responsibilities that aren’t aligned with your strengths out of fear of spending money, I encourage you to consider what your time (and sanity) is worth. Instead of an expense, look at hiring as an investment in your business, and in yourself - by saving you time, money, and resources in the long run, positively impacting your bottom line, and increasing productivity and growth.

TL:DR; Save the “DIY” for Pinterest projects and home improvement.

When it comes to running your business, it's time to let go of the "I can do it all myself" mentality and start investing in the growth and sustainability of your company. You can only go so far, alone.

If you’re ready to stop being the only one on the “operations island”, click here to schedule a free call with me, and get supported within 2 weeks.