Do It Yourself Mentality

This weekend I was reminded why sometimes it is ok to hire someone to perform a task that you know how to perform yourself. At the same time, I see the reason why other entrepreneurs do this so rarely. It is the common life/work balance that few small business owners do well.

The business model for QCI, Castle Photography, and Order Experts is driving us to a point where more internet bandwidth was needed in our office. We decided to use AT&T (formally SBC) as our connection provider for various reasons. We have worked with them in the past and their customer service and business relationship attention I rank fairly high.

I decided that I would ignore all business responsibilities on Saturday and attend a friend of mine’s bachelor party. We had a great time. I also decided that Sunday would be my day to complete the internet project at work. The one variable I was not counting on that entered into my equation was, Im not feeling well. I don’t usually get sick, so when I don’t feel well, it annoys me. But what has more impact, is what it can do to my business.

A project that should have taken me a couple of hours to complete, took nearly six. Obviously, I could have called someone else in to do that job, but that’s just lazy; especially when I can do it myself, even if I feel bad. Here is where the small business owner differs from the corporate employee. I should have put it off, or perhaps hired someone else to do the job, but I did neither. This was a bad choice for me, but a good one for the business. That is unless working through this causes me to miss work.

I leave this story with you with a word of warning to those looking into owning their own business. If you aren’t careful, the business can own you. And don’t ever try to make personal plans without first making sure your bases are covered. A good team around you can make all the difference in the world.