Ep #121 Feeling guilty because you aren’t working as hard as your team?

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Do you ever feel guilty about delegating to your team? Do you ever think: I am not putting in as many hours as my team. Afraid that they might think that you aren’t working as hard as them so you struggle to transfer tasks and responsibilities to them because you don’t want them to think that you’re just sitting at home doing nothing?

One of my clients came to me this week for coaching on this specific challenge. And I wanted to share the coaching I gave her so you can understand why you don’t need to and shouldn’t feel guilty if you’re in the same situation and also to share with you what the number one job of the entrepreneur or business owner actually is so that you can understand your role in the bigger picture of building and growing your small business.

1. Not everyone wants to be a business owner

According to statistics, only about 6% of the South African population are business owners. The other 94% are seeking stable employment. Think about this for a moment. Not everyone wants to be a business owner. All around the world the majority of the population is seeking stable income. Many do not want to take the risk of starting a business. They don’t want the kind of stress and responsibility that comes with it. They don’t want to worry about where the clients or the work is going to come from. They want a stable income, to enjoy their work (and in an ideal world even LOVE what they do), they want to know they are making a meaningful contribution and that they are needed. And they want to get paid at the end of the month. 

Your team is there because they want to work. And it’s your responsibility to create a culture where they can thrive in their roles. To create the systems and the processes that support them so they can support you and the vision that you create for the business. 

2. Your number one job as the owner/entrepreneur

Being a business owner comes with a lot of risk. Whether you started your business because you saw an opportunity, or your back was against the wall and entrepreneurship was the way out, or you inherited a family business, you took the leap. You chose to say no and jump head first into a world that is filled with uncertainty. Your tolerance for risk is not the same as the majority of people out there. And this is great because the world needs people who are prepared to take that risk.

In south Africa, statistics show that small businesses are responsible for 30% of the jobs in our country. Small businesses drive the economy. Not just in South Africa, but all over the world. And we have very important work to do. It’s important that we understand our role as the owners. And what our number one job is.

The number one job of the business owner, the entrepreneur inside us is to create jobs. 

Imagine if every small business in our country could employ and upskill just one person. What would that do to our unemployment rate?

We think this is insignificant and it’s hard to quantify this because there aren’t a lot of statistics that I could find on this subject but Forbes.com reports that 80% of small businesses in the US operate without any staff. And that the remaining 20% are employing almost half of the American workforce.

I think it is safe to say that things look very similar for us as well. That we have more small businesses that are operated by one staff member than we have who are employing staff. 

And if we as owners are always doing everything in the business ourselves, we are missing an opportunity to make a major difference in our country. So many people hope and maybe even expect the government will or should do more to create job opportunities…the sad reality is. They are not going to save us. 

If every small business owner can employ one or one more person, or outsource certain tasks to another small business or solo entrepreneur…we can make a big difference to our unemployment numbers.

Now you might be asking, Ilonka, what does all of this have to do with me feeling guilty for giving my team more work…

Well hopefully you understand that you are a very specific role as an owner. And that role is not to do all the things in your business yourself, forever. If you’re always the one doing it all then you are taking away jobs from people who need it, want it, and can probably do it better than you can.

Secondly, you picked up the flame of being a business owner. You gathered the resources. You put in the effort to bring an idea to life. And if you beat the odds and your business survives…why would you feel guilty for the reward of more free time with your family, a higher income, or any of the amazing opportunities that come along your way. When we take bigger risks, we expect bigger rewards and being in a position where you can delegate or outsource in my opinion is a BIG reward. That is a WIN! It means that your business has passed that initial survival stage where over 50% of businesses don’t even make it out alive.

We all understand why we need to put our safety masks on first before we attempt to help someone else. If things are going well for you and your business you are in the perfect position to help more and in bigger ways. The better things are going for you, the stronger of a position you will be in to make a real difference to those in need. So, the next time you feel guilty…remember…you’ve got important work to do. So go out and get it done.

Ready to crack the code on time management? If you would like to feel in control of your time again and reach the end of your week feeling satisfied with everything you’ve accomplished, I would like to invite you to attend the Win Your Week On Monday Workshop that I am hosting Live via Zoom. 

During this 90 minute workshop you will learn:

1. The three mistakes small business owners make that keep them stuck in overworking and overwhelm.

2. I will teach you a simple habit based approach to planning your week so you can get everything done that matters AND have free time available to spend with your family.

3. We will also dove into the four types of work you should calendar as the owner of the business and much more!

You can grab your ticket at ilonkaras.com/winyourweek. We are intentionally keeping the workshop small and intimate so you get all the support you need, which means there are only ten spots available. I guarantee that after you’ve attended this workshop, you will never say that you don’t have enough time ever again. 

You can watch the video recording of this episode HERE

Episode References

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/small-business-statistics/

https://www.xero.com/za/media-releases/state-of-south-african-small-business-2023/

https://www.smallbusinessinstitute.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/SBIbaselineStudyAlertfinal.pdf

https://dailyinvestor.com/business/11851/small-businesses-make-a-big-difference/

https://www.bizcommunity.com/Article/196/836/238743.html

https://www.luisazhou.com/blog/small-business-statistics/

https://www.northone.com/blog/small-business/entrepreneur-statistics

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/pros-and-cons-of-being-entrepreneur

https://data.oecd.org/south-africa.htm#profile-jobs

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