Question: What's the true purpose of your MSP?
It's not to provide managed services, or to keep clients happy. That's just what it does.
I strongly believe that the purpose of your business is to give you a great life, and the resources to achieve that life.
Problem: Too many business owners think that they are there for the business. They forget that after the initial start-up phase, it's supposed to be the other way around. The business is supposed to be there for them.
Problem: Too many business owners happily work 80 hours a week for themselves, in order to avoid working 40 hours a week for someone else.
Problem: Too many business owners create a prison of their own design, and then lock themselves inside.
To me, this is the curse of the business owner. It's what steals years, often decades of your life away from you.
In your business, you have two key resources: Time and cash.
One of them is finite. The other is infinite; it never runs out.
Which is the infinite resource?
Why it's cash, of course. Might not feel like it some days. But there's plenty of cash out there. Plenty of business. You just have to get good enough at marketing to go out there and get more of it.
But time... well, time is your most finite resource. When it's gone, it's gone. And it's the one thing that for every single one of us will run out one day.
Gulp.
This is why for years I have worked on the principle that I should only do, what only I can do.
My business super powers are inspiring people, leading a team and direct response marketing. So that's all I try to do.
I don't do paperwork or admin. I've never filled in tax paperwork (I'd muck it up, anyway). I don't do technical stuff with websites.
In my property business, I don't source tenants or try to project manage refurbs.
Better to give some of the infinite resource (cash) for someone else to do all of these things, so I can preserve the finite resource (time).
I only do, what only I can do.
This has extended to my home life too.
I don't wash my car. Mow my lawn. Clean the toilet. Fix broken things.
I'm not good at these things and don't enjoy them. So they are all outsourced to experts who do a better job in a quarter of the time it would take me.
This isn't just a way of operating, it's a way of thinking.
With every new project I take on, or job that lands on my laptop, I'm asking myself: How can I DOA this away.
DOA? Traditionally that stands for Dead On Arrival.
Well, I don't want that to be me. So I've turned it into Delegate Outsource Automate. The 3 letter acronym that gives you your time back, and creates a better life.
And where is all of this extra time invested?
Quality time with my child. We take a lot of holidays and mini breaks. I like going to the cinema during the day (which feels naughty and therefore makes it more exciting). And I adore really long walks. Great thinking time.
Here's how to get started on this
What's one thing you're doing today that really, someone else could do for you? Maybe they'd do it better than you, or the same job but cheaper (you're the most experienced person in the business. An hour of your time is probably worth 2-3 times a hour of their time).
Pick something, just one little task, and delegate it or outsource it. Don't overthink it, just do it. Remember that you're delegating the task itself, not the responsibility for getting the task done.
Then every day look at what you have to do, and try to remove just one task to someone else.
Remove the tasks that anyone can do, so you hang onto the things that only you can do. It's a smaller list of things than you think.
And remember, as business owners we are very guilty of hanging onto jobs way past the point they should be done by someone else.
Have you tried this and failed? Is the idea a revelation? Or are you successfully reducing your personal workload each day? Join my free MSP Marketing Facebook group and let me know.
