For most of us, work is a fact of life. You’ve got to pay your bills, support your family, and keep a roof over your head. Unless you’re independently wealthy, you’ve got to get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, and head to the office to make things happen.
But, for ambitious entrepreneurs or small business owners, you don’t just have to work, you need to—you want to. Creating something out of nothing is your passion. You want to see your business grow and pay dividends to you, your investors, and your employees.
So, you strike out on your own. Maybe you open a shop, develop a new technology, or work as a coach, helping people to be their best. Well, pretty soon you just might find that you’re putting in even more hours at the office and spending even less time with the people you love. At that point, you need to ask yourself: “Do I really have a business…or do I have a job?” There’s a difference, and it’s an important one.
To put it simply, if you can’t take a month off to travel to Italy (or to write the Great American Novel or do some other time-intensive activity), you’ve got a job. That means you need to be there day in and day out to keep your business running, and things can’t function without you. If, on the other hand, you’ve developed systems and hired the right people to execute the plans you’ve put in place—without you looking over their shoulders—you’ve got a business.
When I started my first company—one that I owned for 18 years—I thought I was out of the grind of a job. After all, I owned my own business, right? I could show up in jeans and a T-shirt if I wanted to, and I didn’t have a boss micromanaging my every move. But, something was missing. Sure, my company was successful, but after nine years I realized that I still had a job, not a business. My stress level was still high, and I hadn’t made myself any happier than if I had a regular job. So I made some changes, which resulted in my next nine years at that company being vastly different—and all for the better.
Do you want to make the shift from job to business and realize your dreams of independence? Here are five steps to help get you there:
Odds are, you’re going to have to start with a job to turn your company into a business. It won’t happen overnight. But, little by little—if you do it right—things will come together. In musical terms, think of yourself as a conductor. You’re not sitting first chair in the orchestra, and you’re not playing an instrument. Your job is to get the best players, decide who’s going to play what and how, and then let them perform the symphony. Pretty soon, you can put down the baton, listen to the music, and take that much-needed, long vacation.
CA Sharmila Kumari is a Finance Director and Global Head of Finance at Routeget Technologies, a large Information Technology company in the USA. Her focus is on Internet, digital media, and software companies. She was also a corporate and M&A partner at the accounting firm Finkarts, with experience in startups, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital.
Sharmila (“CA Sharmila“) entered college on a scholarship. Later, she transferred to Ranchi University in Jharkhand, India where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. This was followed by a Masters in Commerce from Kolhan University, and Chartered Accountancy from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
CA Sharmila has a love for media – particularly television. In addition to her love for television, Sharmila has a passion to bring an common people service programme, through which she provides free legal and financial service to poor.
CA Sharmila Kumari is a Finance Director and Global Head of Finance at Routeget Technologies, a large Information Technology company in the USA. Her focus is on Internet, digital media, and software companies. She was also a corporate and M&A partner at the accounting firm Finkarts, with experience in startups, mergers and acquisitions, and venture capital.
Sharmila (“CA Sharmila“) entered college on a scholarship. Later, she transferred to Ranchi University in Jharkhand, India where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. This was followed by a Masters in Commerce from Kolhan University, and Chartered Accountancy from The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
CA Sharmila has a love for media – particularly television. In addition to her love for television, Sharmila has a passion to bring an common people service programme, through which she provides free legal and financial service to poor.
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