Pop quiz! What’s the number one problem you face as a business owner?

I don’t need to be there beside you to diagnose the real issue. It’s simple. You’re too busy. Too many things to do. And not enough time. Am I right?? Well get ready for the elegantly simple solution. Courtesy of my recent trip to NYC.

I was in New York with OSA mastermind members a couple of weeks ago. After the meeting we had a free day so the OSA team and I pounded the streets of Manhattan. After a few hours we called into a New York café that did drinks, pizza by the slice, and a healthy dose of New York attitude.

On the way to the bathroom, I noticed this sign. It’s so unfriendly it made me laugh out loud.

Funny. But effective. And the lesson should not be lost on you.

Here is a business owner who is running a far less complicated business than yours or mine, yet she is smart enough to declare herself ‘Pizza Queen’ and hide herself away from any possible interruptions to do the important work of being a business owner.

Can you say the same?

In the early years of running my practice I realised that it was damn hard to try to figure out how to grow a successful business in the morsels of time in between seeing patients, answering questions for staff, fixing broken stuff, replying to emails, and solving the newest problem of the hour.
I learned that to work ON the business I first had to be in a distraction-free, interruption-free environment. I got creative. I would have hide-outs in the city where my staff could not find me. Coffee shops with quiet corners. Libraries with no-talking policies. I’d even pay to rent a day-office at unknown locations. These are the places where I built my business.

As an unintended bonus, my team got stronger and better because I was training them to be independent and to think for themselves. When they couldn’t find me and my phone was turned off, they had no choice but to take initiative and solve whatever problems arrived.

The Pizza Queen has kept it even simpler. She is still onsite presumably but her sign and a closed door will make anyone think twice before interrupting her. You can find plenty of funny do-not-disturb signs from Amazon. But I like hers better. The handwritten, home-made look conveys a certain ‘unhinged’ feeling. Like maybe she is crazy enough to do something scary if you disturb her. So better leave her alone.

So this week, why not get arts-and-crafty and make yourself a sign. Or get yourself a hideout. It can change everything.

I have 3 tips to maximise your odds of success…

#1. Explain to your team that you are not doing this for ego reasons.
You are doing it because you want to prioritise the work that will improve the practice for everyone. You will be busy attracting ideal clients, finding ways to repel the clients you don’t want, and solving big problems in a way that fixes them for good. What’s in it for them? A better place to work! So they will get behind protecting your time.

#2. Block out your schedule!
The very first move I made when I bought Jones And Co. as a fixer-upper practice was to block myself out of the appointment book in big chunks of the week. I didn’t want to be on call 5 days a week, at any time, to do an eye exam. I wanted solid chunks of time to do the work of fixing the business.

#3. Don’t ignore your clients.
I was somewhat friendlier than the pizza queen and I definitely didn’t want my clients to think I was ignoring them. So I trained my team and I set very clear expectations about the 5 star service I wanted them to deliver to all our clients every single day, no matter what.

Remember, as a business owner, it is not your job to do all the work. It is your job to deliver the team that can excel at doing the work. That’s leadership.