They always say “life begins at the end of your comfort zone”. This cannot be more true when it comes to owning and operating a business. True business growth happens when an owner steps outside of their comfort zone to achieve a goal. This comes in many shapes and sizes depending on the company’s current stage.
Base Level Expansion
When many owners start their business, it is something that they do in order to achieve a result that is monetarily focused. Many get started because they do not want to work their job any more. This is especially the case for many home service businesses, such as the #1 provider of lawn care in Plymouth, MN, who started the firm as a means to escape the nine to five weekday grind. However, what most are not aware of is that starting a business that does not operate without your presence is essentially creating an elaborate job for one’s self and a business owner can find themselves trapped in this position.
The First Leap
The leap the owner must take involves automating things so the owner does not need to do them. With a lawn service provider, this would be evolving from wearing two dozen hats within the business, these include, CEO, sales manager, sales staff, accountant, project manager, foreman and laborer. How this cycle must work involves starting with the bottom of the totem pole positions and automate it with an employee or software technology.
Micro Expansion and Scaling
With a business like lawn services, the labor force is not yet fully automated with technology, but can first begin with ultra efficient equipment such as upgrading from walk behind lawn mowers to ride on zero turn machines. These machines increase the amount of grass cut per hour with a larger mower deck. Once an organization has the equipment they need, the owner needs to move himself off the lawn mowers and place laborers on the equipment. That way the owner moves another step up the ladder with his working positions in the company. This would be the foreman or crew manager. As the work load increases, the owner must then replace his position as foreman with a new employee. This cycle shall be continued until the principal owner can draw a salary with minimal work put into the company.