Whoever said running a business was easy? Nobody, that’s who, and if you ever hear anybody telling you otherwise, you might want to give them a reality check. Running a business is not easy at all, and this is partly because of the many hats you will wear as a business owner.
Now, you can make life easier for yourself, of course. The people you employ will have the skills and talents to deal with those tasks you can’t manage or don’t have time for yourself. And you can outsource some facets of your business to others, such as your technical needs to IT services and anything pertaining to your accounts and taxes to an accountant. That’s all well and good, but there are still many roles that you will need to carry out within your business yourself.
Such as?
Well, you will be wearing the hats (not literally) that pertain to these roles on a regular basis.
#1: Teacher
Sure, your employees will have plenty of skills of their own, but you will still need to teach them more about the facets that make up your business. You will need to mentor them as they begin their job roles. When they make mistakes, which they will invariably do, you will need to step in to teach them the error of their ways. And you might also decide to teach your employees the lessons that you have learned in business, such as how to work efficiently, and how to deal with those customers and clients who are more than a little confrontational.
#2: Motivational Coach
Especially when your employees’ motivation is low, you need to encourage them onwards. With words of praise and encouragement, you’re responsible for making sure they return to their workloads with vigor and enthusiasm. You also need to motivate them when they’re slacking, as work will never get done in your business otherwise. Be it a word of kindness or a word of warning; you need to say what needs to be said to motivate them to get back on with the tasks they have to do.
#3: Problem solver
If only you could get through a day without any problems! Unfortunately, we are living in the real world, and especially in the day to day running of a business, you are going to come up with more than a few problems to solve. They might be connected to bad customer reviews, for example. How do you respond to them? What can you do to fix any issues that the customer has had?
There might also be problems with your cash flow. If you aren’t earning enough money, you will need to work out how to cut costs. Of course, you don’t have to deal with these problems alone. Your employees might be able to offer advice, and there could be other business professionals that you can call on for help. But as the business owner, the buck stops with you, as ultimately, you need to decide on the solutions to the problems you face.
#4: Student
Sometimes, you will need to be the teacher. But because you don’t know everything (let us know if you do), there will be times when you need to sit at the feet of others (not literally) if you want your business to succeed. You might need to listen to the advice of your employees.
There will be training courses that you need to enroll yourself on. And you will need to make time for the conferences, trade shows, and business-related workshops that will give you the opportunity to gain in wisdom. Oh, and finding the time to read a book written by a business guru won’t do you or your business any harm, either.
#5: Architect
We aren’t suggesting you need to plan out the size and shape of your business premises on a literal level, unless you were inclined to so, of course. Rather we are talking about the architecture of your business, and the things you need to do to build and shape it into something that doesn’t fall at the first obstacle that comes it’s way. You will need to hire the right employees to give your business a good foundation.
You will need to find ways to ensure quality permeates throughout every part of your business. And you will need to put strategies in place to ensure your business grows well into the future. You’re the mastermind behind your business, and you need to do whatever it takes to ensure it remains strong.
#6: Promoter
Sure, you might have a marketing team to help you. And you might outsource such things as your SEO and your website to others. But it’s through your very being that you can promote your business. You can talk to the people you meet on the bus. You can raise the flag of your business when you’re attending business conferences and trade shows. You can push your business to the people who make up both your business and personal social media networks. And you can take to the stage at local business meetings to promote your business through your teaching, advice-giving, and lecturing.
#7: Mother
We are thinking of this role in two ways.
Firstly, consider your business. You brought it into being in the first place, and so as its figurative mother, you need to nurture it with the essentials it needs to help it to grow. You might consider these important growth factors, for example.
And secondly, consider your employees. Unless you’re running a family-owned business, you probably won’t wear the mother hat literally. However, there will be times when you to give your team a bit of TLC. When they grow despondent at work or suffer from issues outside of the workplace, you might want to show them your caring side.
And as the mother figure, you will want to nurture your employees so they can be the best of themselves. You are doing all of these things for them, but by lifting them up in such ways, you are also doing it for the sake of your business.
#8: Janitor
There will be times when you have to get on with the dirty work. You will have to clean up the literal and figurative messes that befall your business. And you will need to fix the problems that are hurting your business, be they the literal leaks in the plumbing or the figurative leaks in your cash flow. You do these things because being a business owner isn’t always glamorous. You won’t always float around on the clouds of esteem that have been afforded you by others. You need to take care of the nitty-gritty because your business might suffer if you don’t.
#9: Pilot
You don’t want your business to fly off course, so as the pilot, you must do all in your power to keep it flying in the right direction. So, you should keep an eye on your rivals and steer your business onto paths that they haven’t dared to tread. You should look towards the future trends in business, and pilot your company onto the paths that will keep you moving forward.
And you should do your best to fly away from the path of danger, such as anything that will hurt your business reputation. With your hands on the wheel and your eyes looking forward, you must pilot your business onwards until you reach your final destination, the land of success and riches!
We wish you success, in all that you do, and within all of the roles that you need to take on.
Business owner, we take our hat off to you!
