Pipelines, Buying From Yourself, and Chosen Torture
🤦🏻♂️ Practical Preparation for Two Gut Wrenching Words
“I quit.”
These two words make us feel totally screwed.
Most times, the employee or vendor that quits on us also does so during our busiest month, or before an impending launch. And if you work for yourself, you will be sitting there, face in hands, wondering how you could become even more resource constrained than you already are.
Rest assured, there’s something you can do, proactively, to soften the blow from (and feel less anxious about) hearing these two words.
Starting today, you need to begin building a pipeline of the people you one day will need to replace. Do it slowly, and casually, but do it.
- Do you own a clinic and live and die by your receptionist? Make sure to stay in touch with other top candidates that didn’t quite make it when you were hiring. Network. Chat with other clinic owners who passed on a great receptionist. Keep a “general job” posting up on your website to keep resumes flowing in.
- Is your company’s business going to die when your web developer bails? Are you self employed and rely heavily on outsourced creative vendors? Have a coffee chat each month with a different webmaster or photographer or social media manager who will, naturally, be vying for your business. When you become unhappy with your existing one, or when they bail on you, you will have a pipeline of existing creatives to tap into.
I know what you’re thinking — how can I be recruiting other employees or vendors when my existing employee or vendor is actively engaged? Won’t they see and be upset?
No! Because as far as that employee or vendor is concerned: 1) you always have more work than you have resources, hence your need to broaden your pipeline, and 2) active conversations are just you building your network, not planning for swift replacement.
Get out there and start building the bench.
👩🏽🏫 Do You Know What It’s Like to Be a Customer of Your Own Business?
When did you last shop at your own store? I’m talking, transit there the way someone else would, walk through the doors as if it’s your first time doing so, browse the shelves and ask questions, use the point-of-sale system from the other side, see what the bag is like to carry home.
When did you last become a new client of your own wellness studio? Where you booked an appointment using your online tool, filled out the intake form, looked for parking, sat in the waiting room, did your own workouts.
Have you done any of this recently?
I’m going to guess that the answer is (understandably) a big, fat:
This is a problem! And luckily, an amazing opportunity, too.
After we launch a business, we get so caught up fighting fires and struggling to stay afloat that we forget about what it’s like to actually buy what we are selling.
Feel what it’s like to be your own customer.
When you go through your customer journey (as a customer!), you’ll immediately identify things you don’t like or things you need to add. In the next few months, make it a point to become your own client. Use your own systems. Sit in your own waiting room. Receive your own welcome emails. You’ll get a plethora of ideas of how to make the journey that much better for your customers.
😩 Business Ownership Can Be Torturous
A few days ago, I came across this quote from Jerry Seinfeld. He said:
“The blessing in life is when you find the torture you are comfortable with.”
There’s no doubt that working for yourself can be a painful and complicated journey. This quote serves as a beautiful reminder that any path we take in life will we paved with pain. The key, though, is picking the painful path that is most comfortable for you.
👋 for now, and keep an eye out for an email next week!
Best,
Jeffrey
