Small Business Owners – Are You Wearing Too Many Hats?

By Jane Heacock –

Business owners don’t have someone to pass responsibilities off to, especially during the startup phase. The success of your business depends on your ability to wear all the hats needed to keep everything moving along.  This also applies to the many hats you wear personally, meaning everything in between running your business.

The household and family responsibilities add on to the busy schedule that you already have as a business owner. The fast pace can create an overwhelmed small business owner if he or she is wearing too many hats.  Let’s be honest, we business owners like to be in control of every area of our business!  Step back for a moment and take a look at some of the things that can bring clarity and open your eyes to what your strengths are and what can be delegated.

You have to set a plan in place for success.

Who am I?

Most entrepreneurs and small business owners have many titles. The list may vary depending on the type of business you own though the similarities are comparable.  We also have our everyday lives, we are mothers, dads, caregivers, husbands, wives, friends, volunteers and so on.  This is the area of our lives that tug at us constantly.  The personal side to our lives is just as important as the professional side. We have goals and wants for each and need to schedule time for both in order to live a happy lifestyle.

The hats we wear:

Our Professional Hat

• Strategic Planner
• Receptionist
• Financial Officer
• Bookkeeper
• Director of Human Resources
• File Clerk
• Marketing Specialist
• Salesperson
• Computer Technician
• Customer Service Representative
• Head of Research and Development

Our Everyday Hat

• Organizer
• Personal Shopper
• House Cleaner
• Family Counselor
• Chef
• Chauffeur
• Home Repairman
• Teacher
• Nurse
• Travel Agent

Becoming a Great Hat Juggler

Business owners enjoy wearing many hats. We like creating, learning new things and swim upstream. The challenge business owners sometimes face is that we can lose the focus, get off the success track when we are being pulled in too many directions.  Business owners that also play the role of Mom or Dad often take on more than they can fit in their day, by trying to be a supermom or dad and running a small business creates the overload syndrome.  It’s alright to say no and ask for outside help when needed.

Have a plan of action. Prepare for each day in advance.  By doing this it sets the tone for each day.  Schedule your professional and everyday life on a calendar.  Make a to-do list for every day and bring it with you when you are on the road, keeping it visible.  Prioritize your professional and everyday life goals.  Everything cannot get done all at once, be realistic for how much time you have in your day to complete tasks and still have time for family and friends.

Believe in yourself and simplify where you can. Take the opportunity to cut back in your schedule to relax and enjoy the little things in life.  Things like getting enough sleep and exercise gives you the energy to accomplish your professional and everyday responsibilities. When you are juggling too much you are not being productive nor giving yourself the down time needed to maintain a healthy work/life balance.

We put too much pressure on ourselves when we are wearing too many hats and leaving little time for ourselves. Outsource and delegate when life responsibilities are overwhelming.  If you can gain two hours in your week by hiring help to take care of some of those things you don’t enjoy doing, you can take off that hat and begin living your best life ever!