Susan Solovic

You Can Make More By Working Less
For those of you who are already small business owners, you know starting and growing a small business means working harder and longer than you've ever worked before.  With the hope that someday you'll reap big rewards, you choose to make personal, professional and financial sacrifices.

Small business owners typically find their days chaotic filled with a complex jumble of events as opposed to a more orderly sequence of tasks.  When things go well, you get to pat yourself on the back and bask in the warm glow of success.  Likewise, when problems occur and things go wrong you've no one to blame but yourself.   You and you alone are responsible for the success or failure of your business.

Unfortunately, as evidenced by small business failure rates, many entrepreneurs never get control of their businesses and therefore, wind up putting out fires rather than taking proactive steps forward.  No matter how hard they work, they never achieve the results they desire.

How do you stop this vicious cycle of manically working hundreds of hours with minimal results?    According to Sam Carpenter, author of "Work the System:  The Simple Mechanics of Working Less and Making More," there is a simple, common-sense answer to this conundrum - control.
When I first interviewed Sam and he talked about the importance of control, I was a surprised.  His perspective seemed counterintuitive.  Aren't you supposed to let go of things in order to allow your business to grow?

Efficiency is the key, Sam explained.  And the way you become efficient is to dissect analyze and get control of your business systems. There are underlying systems that create the results you get whether in a relationship, a job or your business.  You must drill down to see those systems and fix what isn't working properly.

I must have looked puzzled because he drew this analogy.   "You know the game whack a mole?  The moles keep popping up and as the game continues they come at you faster and faster.  I did that for many years in my business and I realized I need to crawl down in those holes and eliminate the moles.  Then, I need to make it a non-hospitable place for their relatives to return," he shared. 

The same is true in your business. Are you playing the "Whack a Mole" game? If so, here are three basics steps from Sams' book to help you get control of your business systems so you can work less and make more.

1. Documentation.  Create written descriptions of guidelines and processes for actions and decision-making in your company.  This will help keep your business running smoothly, prevent missteps and avoid redundancy.
2. Fix It.  Separate the various functions of your business and analyze them carefully.  You may need to create a process from scratch or eliminate "bad habits" and systems completely.
3. Ongoing Maintenance.  Regular check-ups keep your systems running efficiently so you and your team can work at peak performance. 

Building a business takes more than passion and a good idea.  Developing process and procedures helps your company become more successful in good and bad times.  As Sam puts it, "It's a simple solution."