One of the struggles of being an entrepreneur—at least it’s one of mine—is making time to work on the business. Working for the business always takes priority, and it’s no wonder. The “for” work pays the bills. The “on” work, however, is critical to getting the “for,” so…

I need to change my approach. I’m thinking of using a particular parameter, which I offer here in a generic format. Every entrepreneur is different, so they shouldn’t be given some hard and fast rule. Mine is only a guideline, kind of like the ones found in the so-called pirate code.

Here it is:

I will spend x-amount of time working on the business, and I will do it during normal business hours.

Now, let’s break the rule into its components.

X-Amount of Time

The amount of time can be defined by hours or a percentage. It’s entirely up to the person in question, the hours they already keep, and how they prefer to keep track of time. I’d say the minimum is five to ten hours, although the reality may be closer to fifteen. What that equals to as a percentage, I don’t know. My “for” working hours can fluctuate wildly due to deadlines, strategies I’m implementing for clients, and the type of content I’m researching and writing.

On the Business

“On the business” refers to all the things that go into keeping the business filled with leads and from looking like a ghost town. It’s email newsletters and blog posts. Hiring people or seeking out company partners. Social media and networking events. Following up with potential clients. Writing scopes of work to get the potential clients. Working on the coloring book. On and on the list can go, and it does.

Beyond “on the business” work keeping the company alive and present in the minds of people, I would suggest that some of it is essential to overall wellbeing. My writing for clients suffers when I’m not writing for myself. Drawing a new Write Right comic every month is equally critical. It helps me stay sane balanced.

During Normal Business Hours

This is the hard one, and I’ll be the first to confess that I work nights and weekends to get things done. My aim, however, is to keep all of the work, on and for, inside normal business hours. There is so much more to life than work, and I want to make sure I have my priorities straight. It’s partially why I’ve started to take boxing and kickboxing lessons. It’s also why I set aside time every day (almost, anyway) to be with God and his Word. Being with him helps keep him as my first priority, and beating a heavy bag, well, it definitely does something even if it’s only to bruise my shins all to pieces.

I plan to make time to work on my business. How about you?

Image: eflon (Creative Commons)