In addition to owning multiple businesses, I am also a father to two young kids (6 and 3). I was really looking forward to father's day this year.
Then we got a horrible message from one of our businesses. One of our employees has been in a car accident. She had a broken vertebra and had a few pelvic fractures. She will be OK, but obviously, it is painful and she will be out of work for a while.
With her being out, we had to have the rest of our team cover her shifts (this is a retail store).
All shifts had been covered, except for her shift on Father's day, and no one could cover it.
I haven't physically worked in this business in over 4 years. We initially did, but we built a great team, the right support structure and removed ourselves from the day-to-day operations.
But without anyone to cover, I was forced to reschedule my Father's day plans.
I told Ariana that I had to work. Being the amazing wife and business partner, she said there was no way that I was working and that she would cover the shift.
So originally, this post was going to be about how even with planning, entrepreneurship can be challenging, and sometimes you will have to miss important events, even after you build a team, processes, and have the right support structure in place.
But then I got a message on Slack from one of our team members.
"Hey Tom. I could work tomorrow so that you don't have to. It's father's day and you should be with your family. The only thing is that I have plans at 5:30. Can we close the store at 5? If so, I will cover it."
And this is what happens when you build an amazing team. As the owner, I had planned to take the responsibility and cover the shift, but my team wouldn't let me do that. Once they heard that I had to work, they stepped up and worked extra so that I could enjoy Father's day.
So I got to spend an amazing day with my family, capped off with our son's first trip to the movie theater.
As you build your business, think about how you can create it in a way so that you can remove yourself. A key piece to all of this is to build a great team that not only believes in the business but also in the team and will work together to help each other out.
Do you have the right support structure to help you succeed?
A coaching client (a CPA) had some great insights yesterday on what it takes to be a successful leader growing her business.
"I'm like a stool, except I need like 8 legs to support me.
I have my small group of tax professionals to help me keep up with my expertise.
I have my team, which supports me in my office.
I have my process and implementation coach to keep things running smoothly.
I have my husband that helps keep things in perspective.
And I have you to help me think and implement the overall strategy to take this business to where I know it can be."
There is such a great lesson in this.
As entrepreneurs and company leaders, we do need a lot of support. We have a lot of pressure on us, and a lot of responsibility, but that doesn't mean that we have to shoulder all of it.
This client has grown their revenue (and profit) every year for the last 7 years because she understands this. She understands what kind of support she needs to be successful and consistently invests in herself and her business to make sure she has the support that she needs.
So ask yourself "what kind of support do I need to be successful and take my business to where I know it can go?" Then, seek out the right people and investments to make it happen.
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://myincomeideas.com/right-support-structure/