This is Tip #8 for creating a successful business.

Hire Other People

I finally woke up the other day. I realized that I don't like to file. I don't like to clean my house. I don't like doing yard work. I also realized that I'm not very good at those tasks either. (I've managed to keep three house plants alive for almost three years now - a major accomplishment for me.) So I decided to contract with people to do the things I don't like to do and don't do well.

I also discovered that the folks who do these jobs don't charge as much per hour as I do. The guy who does my lawn asks for $40. The woman who gets me organized and does my filing charges me $40 - 60 for her once-a-month visits and now provides some basic clerical support as well. The woman who cleans my house charges me $60 every three weeks. My going rate is $50 an hour and all of these jobs entail at least two hours each. It doesn't make sense for me to do them when I can contract with other people, get these jobs done, and continue working.

When I first started my business, I felt like I had more time than money. I'm not sure that was ever true, but if it was, it was only for the first six months. Once I landed more than one client, the see-saw flipped. Time became the most needed commodity. Don't get me wrong - I still need the money. But I can generate the income if I can find the time to get out and network, send my newsletter and keep my other marketing efforts up to date, and do the work. Providing business to people who can take care of things I don't do as well as I write, train, and design makes it easier for me to stay on task. And anything that keeps me on task helps my bottom line.

How about in your business? Do you pay other people to do the jobs you don't do as well as your core talent. Do you think you can't afford it? Can you afford not to? (And if you want the names of the people who help make me successful, just drop me an email or give me a call.)

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• Do you have a clear growth strategy for your
• Can you articulate that strategy to others?

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