By Griffin Sharp

The deep personal involvement required to run a small business can be both the best and worst thing about ownership . An owner with their hands in every aspect of operations will feel the pride and joy of business successes far more tangibly , but is also likely to find themselves stretched thin as the years wear on . Serving as not just a manager , but in many cases also an accountant , recruiter , HR manager , general contractor , or salesperson would be enough to leave anybody exhausted .

But what if there was a way for owners to have it all ? What if you could feel the same sense of connection and business satisfaction , while also having the flexibility to take a day ( or a week , or two !) off ? And what if this solution not only provided greater freedom to you as the owner , but also made your business more valuable ? That kind of win-win proposition would seem almost too good to be true , right ?

It might be surprising , then , to hear that all of these lofty goals can be achieved by … delegating . Stepping back . Doing less . Seem counterintuitive ? Maybe at first , but the results can be real – and eye-opening . An owner who commits to development of their employees , empowering them to begin to take on the many tasks currently borne by the owner alone , will see all of these benefits over time . 24 JUNE 2024 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www . fueloilnews . com