|
Have you ever stepped back to assess why you are so tired when you get up to go to work each day?
As a business owner, you may be passionate about your business without truly understanding why it seems to be such a personal chore every day to keep your head above water.
The following survey of eight questions will help you answer the question, "Is your business killing you?"
Circle one letter from a. to e. in each of the eight questions.
Do not read the results at the end of the questionnaire until you have provided your answers to each of the eight questions.
1. How many hours a week do you work?
a. Less than 25
b. 26 - 40
c. 41 - 55
d. 55 - 70
e. 71 or more
2. Do you work at all on Saturdays and/or Sundays?
a. Never
b. A few times a year
c. Once a month
d. Most weekends
e. Always
3. How many vacation days (excluding weekends) will you take this year?
a. More than fourteen days
b. 10 - 14 days
c. 5 - 9 days
d. 1 - 4 days
e. None
4. What is your personal income excluding benefits from your business before income taxes?
a. Over $300,001 per year
b. $150,001 - $300,000 per year
c. $80,001 - $150,000 per year
d. $40,000 - $ 80,000 per year
e. Less than $40,000 per year
5. In 2006, how many times have you missed family or personal events due to work?
a. Never
b. Rarely
c. Occasionally
d. Regularly
e. Always
6. Are there situations where you consistently put work ahead of pleasure and relaxation?
a. Never
b. Yes, because you started the business within the past year and you don't seem to have time for pleasure and relaxation
c. Yes, because you don't have the cashflow at the moment to afford to employ additional staff, so you do all the work yourself
d. Yes, because you need to keep your costs down to be competitive for price-conscious customers, so you don't employ skilled staff
e. Yes, because you are the only one with the skills to do the job properly, so you must do the work yourself
7. What has been the toll that your business has taken on your personal life, now and in the past?
a. None
b. Your free time
c. Your personal satisfaction
d. Your physical health
e. Your marriage/relationship
8. What will your tombstone likely read?
a. Party on
b. World's best parent and/or partner
c. Achieved a great balance
of work and play
d. Should have stopped and smelled the roses
e. Success at any cost
Results
Add up your points for each of the 8 answers based on the following scores:
a. = 0 points
b. = 1 point
c. = 2 points
d. = 3 points
e. = 4 points
15 - 32 points:
You need some serious professional help building your business and altering your lifestyle. The symptoms will not go away on their own, regardless of how often you kid yourself or stay in denial that it's only for a few more weeks or months or years.
Not only is your business probably having financial or team problems, you personally are very likely on the brink of some serious trouble with your health and probably on the home front, too. If you have a family, don't be surprised if your house key does not open the front door one day soon.
9 - 14 points:
You are on your way to achieving balance but there is still a lot to do. You need to look at ways to improve each business activity and strategy to make sure your tactics achieve maximum effectiveness. Some simple changes will have a great effect on your time management and stress levels.
Get some help and encouragement to build your vision of the future from positive people who have knowledge and experience in business building.
Create a vision for your life for afterwork hours and set a dollar value on your time so that you become aware of when you are doing tasks you could pay others to do for less than your own cost of doing the task to allow you to more effectively use your time, either professionally or personally.
5 - 8 points:
You are doing well. You probably have systems in place to give you confidence that your team can complete tasks up to your standard.
You have realized there is more to life than work, and that you only have one life made up of finite time and you want to make it count.
You have confidence that your clients get a great return on their investment and refuse to sabotage yourself with discounts and write-offs. Now is not the time to 'lose the plot,' stay focused on your business-building and personal goals.
0 - 4 points:
If you really do own a business, congratulations and welcome to the 'entrepreneur's club.' You are probably looking to expand your growth or you are just enjoying the benefits of your earlier business building efforts as you work on your business to provide the visionary and strategic direction to the company, while your qualified team works to continue the successful path you have established.
And your golf score is probably getting better!
The fact is, however, that regardless of your quiz score, you can always find ways to do better than you are doing now.
Maintain your emphasis on fresh strategies to grow your business in line with your vision, as it has been proven over and over in the business world that you must grow to survive or you will die.
Reprinted from Capital Region Business Journal, Madison, Wisconsin, December 2006 issue.
|
