Your biggest business mistake | Part Two

When I first acquired my business, it was an event rental business that came with a full staff. After I decided I wanted to do florals exclusively, I was told that I didn’t need all the employees I had, but I was absolutely determined to keep everyone. This ended up being a mistake.

I soon found that while I had a staff, I didn’t have a team. I had a bunch of people on the payroll, but no one had designated tasks or roles that were hers alone. There was a lot of overlap, inefficiency, and frustration for everyone. I found myself trying to find jobs for the people I already had on staff, instead of finding the best people for the roles and responsibilities I needed to fill.

I ended up having to fire someone, let someone else go, and I was left with Kellie and Danae, who are still with me today.

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Most of you are currently running your businesses solo, not trying to figure out roles for an existing team of employees. Whether you have an existing team or you’re a team of one, we all fall into this trap. We give ourselves all the roles and all the tasks, without considering that we’d make more money and have more time if we found the best people for our business needs.

Here are some encouragements I have for you as you consider team-building.

Even though I truly believe that I have the ability to learn any skill I need to be successful, I recognize that I don’t need to do it all. Some tasks, I’m just not naturally gifted in, and it would take someone else less time and effort to be great at that same task. By delegating those tasks, I can free myself up to do what I’m best at and see someone else excel at the things that didn’t excite me .
Ask yourself, how much time am I wasting doing things that I don’t like to do and don’t play to my strengths? What else could I be doing with that time, and how could that time translate to money made or time gained?
When you determine what work you most enjoy, it will free you up mentally and emotionally. If you’re feeling burnt out, you likely need to delegate so you can focus on the things that fill you up.

Divide a sheet of paper in half and make two lists-- one list of tasks you’re taking on that you LOVE, and one list of things you’d never do again if you didn’t have to. Figure out which of the ‘never again’ tasks you could delegate.

THE BUSINESS BEHIND THE BLOOMS TESTIMONIAL

“Investing in BBB was one of the best decisions I made for my business! The information Jessica shares is the real deal, and I feel so much more confident in my pricing, my process, and myself after reading this course! My average floral contract doubled over the past year and I booked my first $20,000+ (!) wedding!!! I’m also so much more confident to price correctly and I am making what I deserve. Not only am I booking higher end weddings, but my clients trust me more and give me more freedom to do what I know would look and work the best for their event! I work smarter, make more, and am doing more of the work that I love! If you’re a florist or event designer, this course is worth every penny! Just think of where you could be a year from now!”
—Lindsay Johnson
Lindsay Elizabeth Events
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ENROLL HERE!

Don’t let this be a discouraging activity!

Instead of thinking of the list as things you like and things you hate, it might be helpful to think of your first list as things you want to say yes to, and the second list as things you want to actively say no to. In business, we all have to do things we don’t love to do. When we can, however, we should off-load the tasks that would best fit someone else. This is just the first step in recognizing if and when you could hire a new team member, what sort of work would you want them to do. This way, you can eagerly anticipate when you might be able to hire someone for that role. You might not be able to delegate everything in your "no" column right away, but it can act as a fun wish list for roles you hope to someday fill!

Before you can identify the roles you need to fill in your business team you HAVE TO identify your own personal strengths. As soon as you finish reading this, go take the StrengthsFinder test. Here’s a super thorough version and a free version. If you’re interested and want to learn more, I highly recommend that you read the book!

I truly believe that if everyone on your team is doing what they’re naturally born to do, you will be even more successful.

And it starts with you.

The StrengthsFinder test helps you identify what responsibilities you’ll naturally enjoy and gravitate towards, so you’re delegating tasks to people who can truly thrive in those roles. I have my whole team take the StrengthsFinder test, and I don’t make a hire until I know the strengths of the person I’m hiring. This way, I make sure that the work I need them to do is work they’re naturally gifted in.

Take some time this week to determine the areas of your business that could be suffering because you’re attempting to tackle this work alone. You cannot afford to wait!

And guess what-- this is just only part of it! Check out Part One now and next week I’ll share how I built my ideal team and what you can do to practically build your business team from the ground up.