RM Online - Do you run your business? or does it run you?

I've seen it a thousand times. It goes on every day in some city and town in America. Someone who just wants to be his or her own boss becomes trapped in a business that consumes more and more hours of the working day.

The original intention was to use his skills to make more money, control his own schedule and have more time for family or leisure activities. The actual result is a life dominated by the demands of the business. The business is running the entrepreneur, when it should be the other way around.

Only those who have experienced this frustrating situation can fully appreciate this column. To most folks who have never owned their own business, the task looks fairly easy. However, the reality is often less income than expected, work that piles up and never gets done, high levels of stress and a growing dislike for the business you once loved.

The three-way fight

Every small business owner is actually three people in one: the creator, the organizer and the skilled technician.

The creator is the risk-taking, idea-developing, creative personality. This person is the driving force behind the business. Ideas flow faster than they can be implemented or acted on. The creator sees only opportunity. This side of the personality generates large doses of enthusiasm, dreams big dreams and usually is not detail-oriented.

The organizer demands order. This side of the small-business owner is uncomfortable with the chaos created by the creator. The organizer wants to manage details. The organizer wants neat files, numbers in rows and columns and minimal change. The organizer feels the need to clean up the messes the creator makes while creating.

The third side of the entrepreneur's personality is the skilled technician. This person is the real reason the business got started in the first place. The technical skills may be in music, carpentry, mechanics or rental. The skilled musician may open a music store. The carpenter may start a construction or remodeling business. The mechanic may open a repair shop, etc.

The technician does the work that produces the revenue. All too often, the work becomes the driving force in the business. There is little or no time for planning, organizing, improving or taking care of nagging operational details that take time away from producing income.

These three personalities are usually at odds with one another. The creator dreams of opening another store, expanding into new products and becoming rich. The organizer just wants a clean office, sales tax reports filled out and a little time to plan. The technician is worn out from painting, hammering, baking, typing or whatever, and just wants a rest from the hectic, stressful pace.

All too often, at the end of another very long day, many entrepreneurs begin to feel like the businesses they planned to run are now running them. The business has become the boss. The owners are now slaves to their business.

There is good news. If you're losing control, there are practical methods for regaining your sense of direction. You can learn to balance priorities and move forward to even greater challenges. You can even get all three of your entrepreneurial personalities working together.

There are six steps in my R.E.G.A.I.N.Š system. While they offer no miracle cure, no instant solution or one-minute answer, they can, if implemented, help you regain both the control of your business and the desire to fulfill your dreams.

The R.E.G.A.I.N.Š system

A system is a set of actions, steps or ideas that lead to a desired result. In this case, the system will help you regain control of your business.

R - Recognize the problem. The first step in taking control of your business is to recognize and admit that you have a problem. The creator side of your personality wants to deny the existence of problems and believes that things will be better tomorrow. Unfortunately, you can't continue to do business in the same old way and expect different results.

Once you've reached the crisis stage - "I can't take this one more day" - it may seem easier to sell or close than change. However, all too often there is little of value to sell, and closing would leave you with debt and no income to repay it. Therefore, we'll focus on working out the problems.

E - Evaluate your present situation. What is actually happening, compared to what you want to happen? At this point, you must start working on your business instead of in it.

Analyzing your present situation is the first step in good planning. Creating a plan to get control of your business is the next step.

G - Generate a plan. Putting a plan together is like taking a step in the right direction. It is only a start, but you are on your way.

Your plan should encompass both strategic and operational objectives. The strategic portion of your plan details your mission and purpose. The operational portion describes the systems (activities, procedures and policies) needed to accomplish the long-term strategy.

A - Ask for help. It may help to have an outside, objective opinion at this point. You may want to contact a small business development center, a qualified business consultant or visit a successful business owner.

Creating a workable business plan is difficult. However, with proper guidance, a good plan pays big dividends for the time invested.

I - Invest the time. The reason many business owners struggle is because they spend more time working in the business than on the business. Steps three and four do require an investment of your time, but you will find few shortcuts. You must devote the time to it.

Investing time now to plan and create your operating systems frees up much more time for future use. The creator will have time to dream, the organizer will have lower stress and the technician will work less and get more done.

N - Never give up. Success comes to those who try and try and keep trying. Running a small business has never been easy. It will never be easy. If it were, everyone would be a big success in their own businesses. Don't quit too soon.

For a free copy of the complete system, including a business planning guide, just send a self-addressed envelope with two stamps on it to R.E.G.A.I.N., c/o Don Taylor, P.O. Box 67, Amarillo, TX 79105.