Most business owners are too busy working “in” their business to have any time to work “on” their business. (That’s one of my favorite Dan Kennedy quotes by the way.)

The vast majority of small business owners find themselves simply maintaining the status quo of just keeping the doors open. Most believe they are doing their part to help the business by eliminating a paid employee position. The result of that thinking keeps their business at its current dead-end.

Think Out of Your Box!

But when a business owner UNDERSTANDS how important working ON their business is instead of in it, great things can happen! The following is a perfect example:

I visited my son last week who had just returned from a trip to Oklahoma City (about 150 miles a way from his home) . On his refrigerator were a letter and a coupon from a BBQ place in OKC I’d not heard of. I asked him about it and he told me he had just gone there last week and the food was GREAT.  He said they just faxed him this coupon and the next time he was in the city he was going back for sure.

Now THAT is what I’m talking about! When’s the last time you got a fax from a restaurant you liked? He said the cashier asked him for his business card so he’d be eligible for special offers.

What a deal! He had the coupons there front and center on his fridge for him to remember and others, like me, might see them too.

See how simple that was? The restaurant gained a returning customer and a new customer because the owner had time to implement this simple little program instead of spending time cooking or doing the dishes.

There are a hundred little things like this a business can do to set themselves apart and give them a edge on the competition (whose owners are mostly working IN the business).

No matter what business you are in, keep tabs on your time spent working in or on your business. Only with enough time on the former will your business grow and prosper.

What? You say you don’t have enough time to work “on” your business? Ah, the proverbial Catch 22 I guess it is. Just remember that a few of your competitors have learned the trick of breaking that cycle. In order to keep up, you have to learn it too!