| Background: I'm a solo operator with a consulting business > * What types of activities, both business and personal, have you found to be effective to pay others to do? When I started out, I undertook all tasks myself. Not just because I was being frugal (which I was), not just because I wanted control over every aspect of the business (I did) but also I was actually interested in getting exposure to areas that were outside my wheelhouse. Even the initial design/creative work for my logo, letterheads etc. (which was not my strength at all) - I just gave myself plenty of time and tried heaps of ideas until finally hitting on something I was happy with that didn't look too amateurish. As it turns out, I haven't had a single customer come to me via my website, have still not printed a single business card and have more work than I can handle. I also didn't have much of a background in accounting (I took a business studies course 20 years ago when I was in high school), but resolved to learn this as well before engaging a professional to run annual audits and tax filings when things got more established. When it comes to finance, being connected to what is going on in your business is essential. Understanding the relationships between accounts receivable, salaries, general expenses and taxation is crucial to understanding where your business is really at, rather than just looking at your bank balance and assuming that everything is okay because it's still >$0. > * How do you find people you can trust? > * How do you navigate getting high quality help versus saving money? I will always try to get the best/highest quality help I think I can afford, and will find these people through my existing networks, or by simply asking other professionals that I have previously engaged e.g.: Does your accountant recommend any good tax consultants? Does your taxation consultant have a nice website? This is a really simple way to expand your horizons if you don't already have a diverse network to draw from. > * How much do you value your time (e.g. I'll spend $20 to save an hour of my time)? This is sometimes not as smart as it seems; for me, I would frame each task more in terms of "Will completing this task teach me something that may be valuable in the future or shape the way the business operates?". And honestly, sometimes tackling a job that isn't anything like the work I do every day is nice for a change. > Personal: > * Cooking, cleaning, laundry > * Shopping > * Home repairs, car repair, etc The answer to this is simple. Work business hours, then clock off and do your personal chores on your personal time. The #Grindhustle life might have been cool 10 years ago, but burnout is real and will end up costing you a lot more. As for simplifying your life - the clothes schtick (Steve Jobs, Elizabeth Holmes, Barack Obama) is more about reducing the number of decisions you need to make in a day. I'm not sure it's a massive time saver, but yeah, I printed some t-shirts for my one-man work-from-home consulting gig that I put on as part of my "ritual" for going to work in the next room ;) |
Any chance you could expand a bit on where/how you get work? Is it small jobs from multiple clients? very large jobs from few clients?