Are you building business freedom – or expecting it?
You set up a business to create your version of success: income, time freedom, probably both. But it can become an overload of noise, conflicting advice and an ever-ticking clock which makes us freeze rather than focus on what the business needs. James West, co-founder of ONLE Networking, explains why business owners face some difficult choices.
On the latest Adventures in Networking, Kelly and I started with the same question we posed to our members recently:
“If you could magically create an extra half-day every week, what would you do with it?”
The answers surprised and alarmed us in equal measure. We expected most people to grab the opportunity to finally work on those bulky, business-progression projects that constantly get deferred. But while some people said words to that effect, many more basically said: I’d take the afternoon off.
Not because they are lazy or disinterested. But because they are overwhelmed by information, ideas and ‘stuff’. The consensus was that people know that their businesses need attention, but without sufficient time to process away from the daily noise of business, it’s hard to see or think clearly about what to do next.
I understand that. People are overloaded. I’M overloaded! More than at any time since I’ve been in business, I feel bombarded with messages (email, LinkedIn, WhatsApp, to name but three), advice, new tools, AI, social media, admin and endless small demands. Kelly made the point during the conversation that we barely allow ourselves to be bored anymore. Give us ten spare seconds and most of us will reach for a phone/click onto a different app or platform.
No space or time to think
It’s no wonder we feel overwhelmed. Our brains never have time to pause, process, reset and see our circumstances clearly. So while I’m very sympathetic, this sympathy doesn’t change the fact that we’re the only ones who can change the equation.
“If you run a business, at some point you have to ask whether you are building the business you want, or simply hoping that one day it will somehow become less demanding and make more money than it does today.”
James West, ONLE Networking
Because the problem is that we all want successful businesses. That doesn’t mean everyone wants to be a trillionaire or take over a small country. As business owners, we’re not all driven or motivated by the same things (thankfully!) No, by successful, I mean that every business owner I’ve ever met wants these two things:
1) To earn enough money for the lifestyle they have or aspire to
2) A level of freedom and choice that employees don’t have
These are modest expectations. But the problem is, they are very difficult to achieve without a plan. And metaphorically spinning on the spot, waiting for the moment the world quietens down, or the business fixes itself, is as futile as it is dizzying.
In other words, if you run a business, at some point you have to ask whether you are building the business you want, or simply hoping that one day it will somehow become less demanding and make more money than it does today.
Most of the work we do is about keeping today going. The aforementioned client work, emails, admin, bookkeeping, marketing, meetings, messages and all the other things that stop the wheels from falling off. It’s necessary work, but mostly maintenance. And it will maintain where you are, not help you progress.
Are you building these things for your business?
The work that changes the future is difficult. Less obvious. Not binary, e.g. if you do X, Y will happen. Think about the things a business needs to be financially successful and give its owners freedom:
A predictable sales pipeline powered by clear and strong marketing
Proven, documented processes
Automated or outsourced low-value work
Solutions for when things go wrong
A system of continuous improvement
Strategies for adapting to changing demands
These are just a few examples of the thorny challenges businesses need to overcome. So with those kinds of tasks in mind - versus the idea of that daily business ‘maintenance’ work, ask yourself this question:
“How much of the work you did last week was about making today work, and how much was about making next year better?”
Because if the answer is “almost none”, why would you expect next year to look different?
Instinctively, we know this. We know that nothing is owed and that things won’t change in our businesses unless we change them.
The problem, before we even get to the overwhelm of noise, is that our worldview has been distorted by extremes. On one side is the ‘hustle culture’ nonsense: work every hour, sleep when you’re dead, be in the gym at 4 am to become a superior human. On the other is the idea that because we run our own businesses, we should already have endless flexibility and be able to step away whenever it all feels too much.
Neither extreme is right. Or helpful.
Sometimes you absolutely need to stop, reset and get some space. I actually think it works best when you do that every day. A little five-minute pause. A walk when you’re going round in circles with a task. Little micro-breaks away from phones and noise - whatever that looks like for you - to simply let your mind process, settle and get ready to go again.
Taking another afternoon off might make you feel better temporarily, but the broken sales process, failing system or important decision will still be waiting when you come back.
This idea was reinforced by a book I’ve recently read: TJ Power’s The Dose Effect. Power explains we’re surrounded by easy little dopamine hits: messages, notifications, ticking off small jobs. They make us feel briefly productive. But they are fleetingly short-lived and leave us feeling drained rather than energised if we never progress beyond them. The true purpose of dopamine is to give us a deeper sense of reward in doing something difficult and meaningful, such as fixing something in the business.
Which brings me to the slightly unpopular idea we discussed on Adventures in Networking:
“The universe doesn’t care whether your business succeeds or fails.”
It sounds harsh. Because it is. But it’s also liberating when you realise you have choice. The noise won’t stop for you. Your inbox won’t suddenly clear. The market won’t wait until you feel less overwhelmed. And the business won’t reorganise itself into something more profitable and less dependent on you.
It’s up to you to build that business. Not by embracing hustle culture. Or avoiding difficult work and decisions. To build a business that is your version of successful, you need to deliberately make space for the work that changes the future rather than only maintaining the present.
Adventures in Networking is a podcast based on a monthly LinkedIn Live James presents with his wife and fellow ONLE Networking co-founder, Kelly West.
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