May’s Book Club Selection is here! Clockwork by Mike Michalowicz is all about structuring your business to operate independently – without you in the driver’s seat forty (or sixty, or a hundred) hours a week keeping the wheels on the road. From the book description:
Do you worry that your business will collapse without your constant presence? Are you sacrificing your family, friendships, and freedom to keep your business alive? What if instead your business could run itself, freeing you to do what you love when you want, while it continues to grow and turn a profit?
It’s possible. And it’s easier than you think.
Clockwork: Design Your Business to Run Itself by Mike Michalowicz
If that doesn’t sound like a breath of fresh air, I don’t know what will. So grab a copy and a good cup of coffee, and join us for the journey!
Note from the EBC Editor:
This book selection comes at a critical time in my business. I started as a freelancer in 2015, and in 2016 became what I called a “real company” – separate bank account, a DBA, the works. The first three years were bootstrapped with me nose-deep at my computer screen for more hours than I care to remember. I have natural workaholic tendencies to begin with, and at the time was a full subscriber to the “hustle and grind” mentality. I almost burned out. Well, let’s be honest…I did burn out, again and again, but I kept pushing forward. Going back to my cubicle was not an option.
I read, I learned, and I grew. In 2018 I hired my first independent contractors to help with production, and this year in January I hired my first employee to run sales and marketing. Starting the team was our first real jump into true profitability; I could only work so many hours a day, and by bringing on more hands, we could provide more work-hours for our clients. It was a turning point in the company’s history, and hiring sales was the second. Our sales manager is a rockstar, and we’re poised for massive growth this year.
As we scale, I continue to struggle with my young company’s demand for my attention. Every new project we sell means more quality work to produce, more contractor hours to manage, and more client communications to keep up with. We’re at that hard place where the workload is increasing beyond what our current structure can handle, but the revenues don’t yet support hiring full-time skilled labor to manage it (and replace me). I’m constantly looking for ways to increase our speed and efficiency for project delivery, mostly to save my sanity and keep me from the ever-present threat of another burnout. I’m so excited to read this book and see what it has to offer, and I’m so excited to be here reading it with you.
Cheers!
