From Business Misery To A Solution
What follows is a bit of a personal story which happened yesterday, but one which led to a huge realization about my business.
Yesterday, I got some work done in the morning. By early afternoon, I was feeling burned out. Unenthusiastic. Just not happy. I was at Panera Bread working because it is nice to get out of the house sometimes. By the time I got back home and walked into my office, it was very clear I didn’t want to be there. Life sucked.
So, I want for a walk for about an hour. I took the Iphone with me and listened to a couple of podcast episodes of Internet Business Mastery. The two episodes spoke right to me. Episode #48 talked about lifestyle design (a term popularized by Tim Ferris). Jay and Sterling spoke of their various life goals and how they set up their business to make those things happen. Episode #49 talked about their big mistakes and what they would do differently if they were starting from scratch. In it, they talked about the importance of setting up systems. That is, systematizing all procedures in the business so that they were not personally trapped by it. It means documentation so that another could sit down and do the job.
After listening to these two episodes, I felt re-energized. But, by night, I was incredibly upset once again after my wife and I had a two-hour argument. It all started with the fact that I was on my laptop at night - again. I was on the Internet - not exactly working, but doing some stuff related to my line of work.
The truth is: I find myself defaulting BACK to work-related activities even when I’m not officially working. It leads to constant work, and not enough time with my wife and daughter. I really do enjoy what I do, but there is a definite lack of balance. Not good.
My wife and I went back and forth trading insults. We weren’t getting anywhere and, quite frankly, we were both just dramatizing problems that had other roots. And a humongous part of that root is this: I have not been attending to my family as much as I am needed. Sure, my daughter is only 9 months old and she seems happy all the time. But, my wife has only the baby and it DOES wear on her. I have to take responsibility for that.
I was feeling torn. I feel the need to work hard so that I can grow my business. At the same time, my family wants me and my wife feels insulted when I’m on the computer at night. At the same time, the economy is on the mind and I feel pressure to grow the business so as not to get caught with my pants down. Crazy amount of pressure.
Laying in bed, my wife gave me the best piece of advice I could have gotten. I don’t even think she thought it was that notable, but it just cut right to the core of my problem.
The advice: Work on setting up systems to simplify my business and make the various jobs into self-contained, doable actions by OTHER people. And, most importantly, do this BEFORE I start any other projects. If I don’t, then these other projects I am beginning will only add to the overwork, the confusion, the time away from family.
I have other web projects to embark on, but PCMECH.COM continues to be the heart of my business. I need to fully systematize that business before I start new ones otherwise I will simply go nuts. I need to make PCMECH into a business that more or less runs itself, or at least is not completely dependent on me to keep running.
So, I know this is a rather long-winded post, but I am laying out my experience in the last 24 hours that has really driven home the need for systems in any business. We don’t start internet businesses in order to become slaves to it. The beauty of internet business is the potential for good money coupled with lifestyle flexibility. But, none of that means anything if you’re feeling forced to work and you become such a slave to your business that your family begin to suffer. That is much worse than having a shitty boss and a 9-5 job.
I want to thank Jay and Sterling with Internet Business Mastery. I am also a member of the IBA Academy and it is well worth it. But, I really admire these guys’ approach to internet business. And, on a day where I was dramatizing all of the bad things which happen when you don’t set things up correctly, their podcast spoke right to me.
Lessons:
- Create systems and document them so that my business is not sitting in my head.
- Keep my life in better balance. I have nothing if I’m not happy and if my family isn’t doing well.
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Comments
Hi Dave,
Lindsay here from the IMBA (aren’t we cool having our own set of insider acronyms? :P). I always find listening to Jay & Sterling’s podcasts motivational too. Listening to other people’s success stories tends to make you realize you can and should be making it too!
Books and audiobooks on success/business/etc. can be inspiring too (check out Earl Nightingale if you haven’t before).
PCMech is a great looking site, and I’m sure there are lots of ways for you to take it to the next level.
I have a big site of my own (blog-based), and I keep thinking I should outsource the writing, create a paid directory to get a steady recurring income from a non-advertising model, and just really rev it up into a real business. Sometimes it’s more fun to pursue the new and exciting than work on the profitable but ho hum though. 
Good luck with it, and stay motivated!
I need to get some of the same done eventually; but I’m just too independant to involve anyone else in the running of my operation.
Is this the right attitude? It feels right for me. I have no family commitments as such and I get a buzz out of building things - Whether it be a computer, a blog, a business, whatever.
Maybe I’m not seeing the screen for the pixels? Maybe I need to think things through a bit more? I’m watching you Dave, and learning too with a bit of luck. 
Hey Dave, great post. I really think it is helpful to write this kind of stuff out, for you AND for others. That is why we talk about our own lives on the show, so others can learn from our mistakes and insights.
The thing for your family to understand, at first, while you are making the systems is that the time you put in now will free up time later. That is why systems are so important. It’s like future free time vouchers or something.
Jay and I took the first few months of running the Academy and worked double time to make procedure lists and systems so that we can send ONE email to a VA and a process is done. For instance, I used to edit the podcast and it would take me several hours - stupid perfectionist issues lead to such long times to edit. I knew that editing all the content for the Academy would take about 10+ a week to edit and at first I actually started booking the time to do it myself! I suddenly thought, “do I really want to edit the audio 10 hours a week?! I could be making marketing strategies or, maybe, surfing and living the lifestyle of my dreams instead!”. I chose the latter.
It took me nearly 4 years in business to finally get over the feeling that I had to do everything myself and finally spend the extra time up front to make procedure lists so other could take over for me. I just wish someone had of told this to me from the start…
David,
It’s happened to me, too. Balance is always the thing I’m striving for. Best of luck, truly, and hey - call me if you have anything you’d like to send my way…
Dave,
This is a very familiar story and one I continue to work on. Thanks for being willing to share it.
When my motivation wanes, I love listening to or reading other people’s stories of success. That’s very exciting to hear that our stories could do the same for someone else.
Dave, this is a very similar situation to what I am dealing with, except I am 3 years behind you looking ahead and fly instead of run my own business. Trying to decide between this lifestyle of airline flying (away from home 1/2 the time) vs. being at home every night /w family is a tough call. I am ready to run down a path with all my being and a build a career, but just don't know which path to take (satisfying job or more family time). Good ideas though. Remember what DMSMH said in that the attainment of pleasure is much more noble and on a higher level than the avoidance of pain. I can think of no greater pleasure than family. Watching your beautiful daughter grow up and learn is pleasure and holding your wife in your arms is pleasure. Work ought to be pleasure in a perfect world, but its purpose is to provide the former (by preventing foreclosure, no food, or similar pain). Sort of like driving to the beach. The pleasure is the beach, the drive just gets you there. But the drive can be enjoyable too!