Hey Taylor — I started my business five years ago and we’ve got a solid crew now, but I’ll be honest. I’m still the first one there in the morning and the last one to leave. My guys are good, but if I’m not on the job, things don’t get done the way I want them done. My wife says I’ve just traded one boss for another. I know something has to change but I don’t even know where to start. – Travis
Hey Travis — First off, your wife is right, and I say that with a lot of respect. Five years in with a crew behind you and the business holding together is something to be proud of. But here’s the hard truth: if your operation only runs right when you’re standing in the middle of it, you don’t own a business yet. You own a job with overhead. The good news is that it’s fixable. The shift from worker to leader doesn’t happen overnight, but it does happen on purpose. Here’s where to start.
–Stop being the answer to every question. Every time one of your guys brings you a problem and you solve it for them, you’ve just taught them to come back next time too. Start flipping the script: when someone brings you a problem, let them tell you what they think the solution is before you say a word. You’ll be surprised how often they already know the answer. They just haven’t been given the room to own it. The more your team learns to solve problems without you, the less the whole operation depends on you being there.
–Identify your replacement before you need one. Look at your crew and find the person with the makings of a foreman or a lead. There’s usually someone. Your next big move as an owner is investing in that person. Start including them in decisions. Let them run a job while you’re nearby but not hovering. Give them a little authority and hold them to it. Building a strong second-in-command is one of the highest-return investments a small business owner can make, and most owners wait way too long to do it.
–Define what “done right” actually looks like. You said things don’t get done the way you want them done, and I’d bet your crew has no idea what that standard actually is because it’s never been written down. It lives in your head. Take the time to put your expectations on paper: how a job should be set up, how the work should be checked, how the customer should be treated when it’s done. When your standard is documented and taught, your guys can hit it without you standing over their shoulder. That’s building a business that can actually grow.
Travis, the fact that you’ve built something worth stepping back from is a big deal. Now it’s time to build a business that doesn’t need you in it every single day. That’s the next step, and it sounds like you’re already ready to take it.
Taylor Kovar, CFP®
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
