Monday, January 31, 2011

Great entrepreneurs never do everything themselves, yet for us average business owners, this is a great and costly temptation. It means we are doing the wrong kind of work (WKW).

Almost invariably, the justification for engaging WKW is to save money. "I don't have to pay for that," or "I can do that myself." It is a sure way to defeat. Here's why.

New Rules of Self Employment author and speaker Anthony Signorelli posted a discussion on the topic of How to Avoid the Wrong Kind of Work. "Economic activities of all kinds have a certain range of value expressed in dollars," says Signorelli. "There's a defined amount that you can earn by bookkeeping, weeding farm fields, doing laundry, stocking shelves, or tending a retail storefront. There's a range of what you can earn by doing technical writing, graphic design, training development, or providing chiropractic care. Almost every industry and work activity has such a range. The enormous danger to the entrepreneur comes when you choose to do the lowest value activities."

"When you are starting up a small business, there can be plenty of reasons to engage WKW in the beginning. You may have far more time than money, and learning what needs to be done in all aspects of your business enables you to instruct others later. However, the entrepreneur must search relentlessly for the opportunities to outsource or delegate such activities and replace them with real income producing activities. Such a move can put your income into hyperdrive, and begin to open the reality of your dreams to you."

Signorelli is a consultant in sales force effectiveness, and author of several books and many articles. Information is available at his website: www.newrulesofselfemployment.com.