Management Matters

You've done the hard work to get your business started. Maybe you’ve even hired a few people to help manage higher numbers. But does this make you a business owner?

Consider This:

You can continue to hustle, working long hours and making some decent coin, but if you don’t have the right mindset, it will eventually catch up with you. You’ll find yourself exhausted, worn out, and disenchanted with the perpetual grind.

Here’s the thing: Time and money are the two most valuable assets in your business. However, money is a renewable resource, but your time isn’t. You can’t rewind the clock and reclaim missed moments with your kids, spouse, or friends. Those irreplaceable moments at football practice, the excitement when your child scores their first goal, or simply spending quality time together.

In today’s social, political, and technological climate, running a successful beekeeping business as a sole trader is nearly impossible. You literally end up trading your soul as the administrative burden from compliance, managing staff, invoicing, and other tasks piles up, eating any free time you have when you’re not working the hives. Eventually, there is a limit that you won’t be able to surpass.

The Time Trap

The business becomes a total time suck that locks you in. You can’t step away to watch your child’s game, spend time with your spouse, grab a beer with your mates, or, more importantly, take a much-needed holiday. The harsh reality is you’re not going to be the best or most efficient at every task or role your business requires. You need to build a team to share the load, allowing you can step away when needed and not be chained to the business. This will multiply your efforts and, eventually, your income.

As a business owner, our product is not the things we make or produce; it is the business itself. A good business is a commercial enterprise that can run like clockwork without you, as hard as that might be to hear. If you want to achieve this, you’ve got to change how you think. You’re no longer just a beekeeper, truck driver, or plant operator. Your job as a business owner is to make the business work. Once you learn how something works, train the next generation, be a mentor, and develop standard operating procedures. Then find the next thing that needs fixing. You’ve got to make time work for you, which means you’ve got to get more efficient as a crew across all aspects of the business.

The point is, as a business owner, you’ve got to weigh up the opportunities. You could spend all your time on activities with short-term benefits, or you could work on tasks that will help the business grow, make better margins, and create more opportunities in the future. Your team can tackle those short-term things: feeding hives, putting in treatment, moving hives into pollination, etc. The more you can make the team work for you, every hire is another 40 hours of time you have to work on the things that really matter.

Here’s where to start:

To make this transformation, start by evaluating where you spend your time. Identify tasks that can be delegated and begin building a team that can handle the day-to-day operations. Embrace the mindset of a business owner and focus on creating a business that works for you, not the other way around.

• Delegate Short-Term Tasks: Your team can handle tasks like feeding hives, putting in treatments, and moving hives for pollination. Every hire adds another 40 hours to your week, allowing you to focus on growth and strategic planning.
• Invest in Training: Train your team to handle routine tasks independently. This not only frees up your time but also empowers your employees and increases overall productivity.
• Focus on Long-Term Growth: Spend your time on activities that will help the business grow, improve margins, and create future opportunities. This might include developing new products, exploring new markets, or improving your operational efficiency.

Contact us today to learn how our productivity software can help you manage your operations more efficiently and reclaim your time.