When Your Business Finally Starts Working for You
When I first started my business, I thought being a “good boss” meant being flexible, kind, and understanding, no matter the cost. I believed that if I took care of everyone else, they would take care of the business.
Spoiler: that is not how it works.
I have had employees who could only work certain hours, even when those hours didn’t make sense for the business. I said yes, thinking I was being compassionate. I wasn’t. I was setting myself up to constantly adjust my schedule to fit theirs.
I have given loans when we couldn’t even pay our suppliers. I have looked the other way on policy violations because the employee was “so good” in other areas. I have kept toxic employees because I was scared of the awkwardness of firing them. Every single time, it cost me more — financially, mentally, and emotionally.
And worst of all, constantly catering to my employees ate into my profits.
I was paying everyone else first and leaving myself with nothing.
There was a point when I couldn’t even enjoy the little things I had worked so hard for. I used to feel guilty getting my hair done, my nails done, or driving a decent car. Meanwhile, I watched employees burn through an entire week’s paycheck on fast food and nights out. My employees were living a more comfortable life than I was. And while I wanted them to be happy, it was at my expense.
My business had turned into an out-of-control beast. It was taking from me but giving to others who weren’t carrying the same risk or doing the deep work it takes to build something.
At some point, I realized something hard but freeing:
Your business is supposed to work for you, not the other way around.
As much as employees may complain about being “just a number,” in my experience, employers are often just a stepping stone. Employees will never care about the business like you do, and that is okay. They shouldn’t have to. But you have to stop expecting them to.
If their ideas don’t align with your vision, they won’t work.
If their schedule doesn’t align with your operations, it won’t work.
If their behavior doesn’t align with your standards, it won’t work.
And the more you bend your business around other people’s comfort zones, the less control you have over your own vision.
I used to ask my team for their opinions on everything, thinking it made me a better leader. Over time I realized something: employees respond with feelings, not facts.
“I feel like we should open earlier.”
“I feel like customers like this better.”
“I feel like sales are slow because of X.”
Feelings aren’t bad, but they aren’t strategy.
Check the numbers. Make fact-based decisions. Lead with clarity.
It took me years (and a lot of unnecessary stress) to learn that protecting my business means protecting my vision first. When your systems are solid, your expectations are clear, and your team fits your vision, that’s when your business finally starts working for you.
Ready to get your business working for you again?
Start with one simple step:
Download my free guide Stop the Chaos: The Template to Get Your Business Out of Your Head and Into a System and learn how to document your first process today.
Tired of answering the same questions over and over?
My free Stop the Chaos template will help you capture one process and give your team the clarity they need.
