Sometime this year, a client named Andrew approached me for business consultancy.
His dilemma was that he had started his company in 2001 but was worried that his company was not growing as fast as some of the other companies that started around the same time as his, Nyaradzo, etc.
To find out why I asked about his employee headcount; Andrew had 25 employees, and 23 of those were directly in operations, the other 2 were the receptionist and an accounts clerk.
We further discussed this, and I learned that aside from the accounts, Andrew was handling everything else in his organization.
If there was an employee dispute, Andrew would become the HR.
At the end of the month, Andrew would be running the payroll.
If there were items needed for smooth operations, Andrew would be the one communicating with suppliers.
He was also the Salesperson and Head of Marketing.
I listened keenly as Andrew explained with pride how he was the anchor holding the business together.
“Why are you doing all these things and not employing people to help you?”, I asked.
“Well Jerry, I’m saving $3500 a month by not employing all these other people,” Andrew responded
“Yes, I agree you are saving $3500 a month but how much money do you think you are losing in lost opportunities by doing all these things yourself?”
Andrew went deep into thought at this question.
I’m writing this because Andrew’s challenge is familiar to many entrepreneurs.
If you are an entrepreneur, you should learn to QUIT. You should be a QUITTER to be successful in business.
When you are starting your business, you are everything in the business which is okay. But as the business grows, learn to delegate until you can focus on two things; Leadership and Branding.
You should have people directly responsible for other essential functions in your organization; you cannot do everything on your own, and multi-tasking kills your company’s growth; remember, you are the managing director or CEO of the organization, not an accountant or salesperson. You must be working on strategy rather than on operations.
Stop working in your business and working on your business.
Having a phone that buzzes every minute is neither a sign of productivity nor authority,
It’s a sign that you are disorganized, that you can’t train your team, and that you can’t delegate.
Sometimes the TRUTH is bitter to hear. Just imagine the country’s president receiving calls from ambassadors, ministers, chiefs, and other country’s presidents; it will be a disaster.
I know you will say I am not employing because l want to save costs. The thing is good employees will bring you money rather than cost you money. Good employees are an investment.
If your employees are not bringing in revenue, it’s because you are still barking yourself.
Lastly, l want to sign out by saying, THE ADMINISTRATION IN ANY COMPANY IS THE ONE WHICH RUNS THE OPERATIONS, NOT THE OTHER WAY ROUND!
