This second article in the series on Coaching Your Business to The Next Level Series explores how many business owners and executives are consumed with working in their business and not on their business. (NOTE: Article 1 was the Top 7 Tips to Avoid the Top 7 Mistakes Small Business Owners Make. See link at bottom of to previous article.)

Work on Your Business Not in Your Business

Mistake: Most new business owners and many experienced business owners are so busy working in their business, they fail to work on their business and demonstrate the leadership that the business demands. In the book, It's Not the Big that Eat the Small, But It's the Fast that Eat the Slow, the authors revealed that executives spent less than 15 minutes each day thinking about the future of their business because they were so busy dealing with yesterday and today's events.

Think about that incredible statement. Business owners spend more time in the past and the present than in the future. Talk about being consumed by working in the business instead of working on the business.

Here are two quick questions to determine if you are an On Business Person or an In Business Person.

Where is your business coming from: the past, the present or the future?

If you answered, the future, then how much time are you spending on your business? Be honest! If you answered less than 4 hours per week, then you are indeed working in your business and not on your business.

In the book, The On-Purpose Person, author Kevin W. McCarthy uses the analogy of a light switch. When the switch is on, you are on purpose. This analogy can be used within your business to ensure that you are working on your business and not in your business.

Possibly, you

are unsure if you are working in or on your business, the following four questions may help to ease that confusion. NOTE: Any yes response suggests that you are working in not on your business.

Do you invest your time in daily routines from mail pick-up to payroll? Do you invest your time in going to the same networking or business events? Do you invest your time and dollars in using the same marketing tools? Are you more concerned about doing what you have been doing and not looking at doing things differently?

Changing from working in your business to on your business will require a change in attitude and more importantly a change in beliefs. However, once that you recognize that you need to work on your business instead of in your business, you have taken the first step. Look for series 3 and 4 to further help you to make those changes necessary for business success.

If you missed the first article, click here to read it.

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