How to Move From Busyness to Business - A Guide for Australian Entrepreneurs
At KEVOS, we understand that running a business often means getting caught in the day-to-day grind. You may be wondering why your business isn’t growing as fast as you'd like. Is it because your product isn’t good enough? Maybe your marketing strategy needs work? Or perhaps your team isn’t performing at its best?
The real reason your business isn’t growing is simpler: you’re too involved in everything. While you’re busy handling daily operations, you can manage profitability, but not growth or expansion.
Let’s break this down with a more familiar, local example.
A Small Business Example: Sam’s Gourmet Meat Pies
Imagine a small business owner like "Sam's Gourmet Meat Pies." Sam makes some of the best pies in town, and he has a loyal customer base. He’s known for his quality, and his margins are good because he makes each pie himself. However, Sam’s business is limited by how many pies he can personally make each day. He can't physically bake 10,000 pies a day.
Now, compare that to a major Australian company like Four'N Twenty Pies. They produce thousands of pies daily, distributing them across Australia. The founders and owners aren’t in the factory making each pie. Instead, they’ve built a business model that allows for growth and expansion while they focus on strategy, partnerships, and growth opportunities.
So, how can you transition from being stuck in daily tasks like Sam to growing your business like Four'N Twenty?
It starts with one essential mindset shift:
Step 1: Focus on Growth, Not Operations
To scale your business, you need to step out of the daily operations and start working on growth-oriented activities. This is the key difference between busyness and business.
Framework: Focus on What Matters Most
Successful entrepreneurs don’t try to do everything themselves. Instead, they put their time and energy into the activities that bring the most significant growth.
Main Goal Activities vs. Firefighting Activities
In any business, there are two types of activities:
Main Goal Activities – These are strategic, long-term tasks that drive business growth.
Firefighting Activities – These are the day-to-day tasks that keep the business running but don’t contribute much to future growth.
While firefighting activities are essential for keeping your business afloat, they won’t help you scale. To grow, you need to spend more time on your main goal activities.
Let’s break this down further.
Multiple Things for Maintenance vs. The Main Thing for Improvement
Option 1: Multiple Things for Maintenance
This means handling routine tasks like managing inventory, paying bills, monitoring staff attendance, and cutting small costs. Sure, this keeps your business running, but if you spend all your time here, your business will grow only slightly (say 2%–10% per year). And, if competitors focus on growth while you stick to maintenance, they might leave you behind.
Option 2: The Main Thing for Improvement
This approach focuses on long-term projects that will lead to business growth—whether it’s opening new stores, introducing new products, or expanding your customer base. These are the activities that allow your business to scale beyond its current size.
The choice is clear: Do you want to stay stuck in daily operations, or do you want to focus on growing your business?
Practical Steps to Prioritise Growth
To shift from busyness to business, you need a system that allows you to prioritise growth activities over operational tasks. Here’s how you can do that.
1. Write a Goal Statement
Your goal statement should be focused on growth. What’s the one thing you want to achieve in the next month or three months? Trying to achieve too many things at once will only dilute your efforts.
For example:
Do you want to launch a new product line?
Do you want to expand into a new region?
Do you want to hire key team members?
Focus on just 2-3 goals that will bring the most growth to your business.
2. Create a Weekly and Daily Calendar
8 AM – 2 PM: Main Things (Growth-Oriented Activities) This is when you focus on achieving your big goals. Dedicate these morning hours to tasks that align with your weekly priority, like strategic planning, expanding into new markets, or hiring senior staff. Example: Let’s say your goal for the week is to finalise a partnership with a new supplier. Every day from Monday to Saturday, from 8 AM to 2 PM, focus solely on that task. During this time, don’t get distracted by emails, phone calls, or meetings.
2 PM – 8 PM: Multiple Things (Maintenance Activities) In the afternoon, tackle the daily tasks that keep your business running, such as reviewing financial reports, managing employee schedules, and overseeing inventory. These are necessary tasks, but they shouldn’t take up your whole day.
3. Hire a Personal Assistant (PA) or Executive Assistant (EA)
A PA or EA can help you stay organised and manage both your time and workload. An Executive Assistant (EA) can handle:
Financial management and reporting
Business planning and strategic support
Progress tracking on your business goals
Hiring the right support frees you up to focus on what matters most: growing your business.
Example: Many CEOs of large Australian companies create a "leadership team" to manage different departments. This allows the CEO to focus on strategic growth, while the team handles daily operations and addresses any challenges that arise.
Conclusion: Prioritise Growth Over Busyness
Growth doesn’t happen by accident. It requires focus, strategy, and a shift in mindset—from managing daily tasks to leading the future of your business. By creating a structured calendar, setting clear goals, and hiring the right support, you can take your business to the next level.
What should you do next?
Write your goal statement.
Prioritise your tasks by dividing your time between growth and maintenance activities.
Review your progress daily and weekly to stay on track.