I naively thought owning my own business would provide me with more time, money and flexibility. Boy was I crazy.
I opened an insurance agency with zero customers and hired two employees. We set very specific sales goals and I promised myself a trip to San Juan if we made them. Seven months later I arrived in San Juan, I checked into the hotel and went straight to the beach.
As I sat in the sand, I realized how difficult it was to truly relax. I kept thinking of aspects of the business that my employees were not familiar with. My time on the beach should have been pure heaven. Instead, it entailed me running to the hotel five or six times a day to call the office. I realized for the first time that my business revolved around me.
My fantasy career had resulted in me:
I had traded an 8-hour a day job for a situation where I had much more responsibility and much less time, money, and freedom.
I became a student of business success, goal setting and life balance. A very different vision of our business future became clear. I painted a mental picture of our business on autopilot.
The word autopilot has two primary connotations.
My business will operate in one of the above manners…reactively with a lack of direction or proactively with clarity of direction.
I once asked a pilot walking through an airport, "Weren't you terrified the first time you put a plane on autopilot?" She immediately responded, "I felt exactly the opposite. I felt so much less stress – even the first time I put the plane on autopilot. I trusted the system."
Now think about a business on autopilot. Wouldn't it be nice to know the team has a clear destination and a desire to work toward it?
A business on autopilot has three key components:
A business that is on autopilot allows the business owner to strategically relinquish control to team members while keeping the business on a steady course. It allows you to create a profitable business where employees think and act like owners. It allows you to replace yourself so the beach can be heaven when you have time off.
Does your business provide a clear picture to employees of the exact destination? Have you educated your employees in a way that they feel prepared to help drive the business toward the desired outcome? Do you have systems in place that allow you to determine the team's progress?
Envision your business on autopilot and determine what steps are needed to create jobs the entire team enjoys.