This second article in the series on Coaching Your Business to The Next Level Series explores how many business owners and executives are consumed with working in their business and not on their business. (NOTE: Article 1 was the Top 7 Tips to Avoid the Top 7 Mistakes Small Business Owners Make. See link at bottom of to previous article.)

Work on Your Business Not in Your Business

Mistake: Most new business owners and many experienced business owners are so busy working in their business, they fail to work on their business and demonstrate the leadership that the business demands. In the book, It's Not the Big that Eat the Small, But It's the Fast that Eat the Slow, the authors revealed that executives spent less than 15 minutes each day thinking about the future of their business because they were so busy dealing with yesterday and today's events.

Think about that incredible statement. Business owners spend more time in the past and the present than in the future. Talk about being consumed by working in the business instead of working on the business.

Here are two quick questions to determine if you are an On Business Person or an In Business Person.

• Where is your business coming from: the past, the present or the future?

• If you answered, the future, then how much time are you spending on your business? Be honest! If you answered less than 4 hours per week, then you are indeed working in your business and not on your business.

In the book, The On-Purpose Person, author Kevin W. McCarthy uses the analogy of a light switch. When the switch is on, you are on purpose. This analogy can be used within your business to ensure that you are working on your business and not in your business.

Possibly, you are unsure if you are working in or on your business, the following four questions may help to ease that confusion. NOTE: Any yes response suggests that you are working in not on your business.

1. Do you invest your time in daily routines from mail pick-up to payroll?
2. Do you invest your time in going to the same networking or business events?
3. Do you invest your time and dollars in using the same marketing tools?
4. Are you more concerned about doing what you have been doing and not looking at doing things differently?

Changing from working in your business to on your business will require a change in attitude and more importantly a change in beliefs. However, once that you recognize that you need to work on your business instead of in your business, you have taken the first step. Look for series 3 and 4 to further help you to make those changes necessary for business success.

If you missed the first article, click here to read it.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Good Day. Thanks for visiting. I hope that you have enjoyed my articles. In 1999, I founded ADVANCED SYSTEMS because I saw that performance could and should be doubled in warp time. Individuals, small and large businesses could not afford expensive solutions that may or may not deliver improved results in 12 months.

From my corporate, small business and education experiences, I recognized the individuals must have opportunities for connecting their passion to their purpose to secure the desired performance results, but many lacked the necessary skills, strategies and tools.

With over 20 years in sales management and 10 years in education, I understand how to unite productivity with profitability by developing a proactive working culture. My previous experiences resulted in cost savings through one of the first implementations of a computer software in a wholesaler distributor to the creation of a vendor performance assessment.

Since facilitating over 500 sessions, developing and editing over 25 training programs and writing numerous articles focusing on performance improvement, I bring a results focused approach to my clients. Also, I am proud to be one of the first five nationally certified facilitators of America?s Rising Stars (a Student Leadership developmental curriculum).

My passion is to help others connect their passion to their purpose to double performance. As The small business coach in Chicago, my clients have easily doubled their performance. Since our greatest resource is our young people, I am now working with large urban schools to generate the same results.

Education Background

• Graduated with honors from Purdue University with a B.A. in Education
• Earned M.S. from Purdue University in Instructional Design and Curriculum
• Published in the national trade journal, The Supply House Times, and numerous national newsletters
• Developed seminars and training on diversity, communication, leadership, sales, effective trade show behavior, networking, knowledge management, goal setting and improved educational outcomes
• Co-authored M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential: 7 Capicities for Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement, to be available in 2006
• Working a another book focusing on performance in public education
• Speaker in a national bureau - Resource Associates Corporation