Letting go of control is challenging for any entrepreneur. Taking that step back is no easy task. You’re likely to get buried in your own worried thoughts as you move away from the know-it-all, do-it-all in your team.
Your business is like your baby.
You’re the one who created your business plan, showed up every day as your business grew, and brought everything you have so far to life. Ultimately, you know the results and success of your business depend on you, and you don’t take that responsibility lightly!
But the only constant in this world is change. Your business will never be the same as before. You may single-handedly build your business from scratch. But, you may not be the best person to test a sales funnel, create a content calendar, measure SEO metrics, and other non-CEO roles you might like to do.
The only real way to handle these changes is by letting go of control.
You’ve spent a long time controlling everything in your business—now, you’re setting boundaries for yourself.
But if you don’t learn to adapt to change now, you have to pay the price. The price of losing your team and your freedom.
Losing Trust from Your Team
You’re used to doing everything yourself.
If you do have a team, it takes everything you’ve got to keep yourself out of their tasks and let them do their job!
Why does this happen?
Most entrepreneurs have a hard time letting go and trusting their team to do what you’ve hired them to do.
You always have the final say in everything because you know best.
You delegate one or few responsibilities, but do most of the work.
You doubt your team in handling tasks, projects they can do.
Ring a bell?
Your lack of trust slashes your team’s morale and work culture. And you won’t even realize it until…
Some (or even most of your team members) call it quits. They decide they’re not happy with your leadership style and they leave. In the end, you spend extra time hiring, onboarding, and training new team members… again and again.
If you learn to get rid of the I only trust myself mindset, a shift happens. From countless hiring fails, you get a powerhouse team that sticks with you.
Support from Your Team: The Trust Fall
Let me give you some scenarios. Have you said one or all of these before?
- “All decisions must come through me. No ifs, no buts.”
- “I need to see all of your work before finalizing it.”
- “Message me first before you start working on a new task.”
Are you cringing a bit? That means your team is working without autonomy.
Autonomy is a crucial part of setting up your team for success.
Denying your team the chance to take ownership results in low productivity, lack of motivation, and low performance.
This is why you need to close your eyes, trust that your systems in place will catch your fall, and let go. Give your team the independence to do their work.
***A note of caution: This doesn’t mean you allow them to work in isolation or without any guidance. An autonomous team thrives on mutual trust, reliability and respect.
So instead of controlling every single team member’s day-to-day, give them a clear picture of the results you want to create.
With this technique, your team produces better quality work based on your inputs, while supporting each other.
Losing Your Own Freedom
Remember social life? The last time you had a movie date? Vacations?
If you do, when’s the last time you enjoyed without work on the mind?
You may think it’s not an option right now. You’re a busy entrepreneur, working your way up to 7 figures.
You’re all about that hustle, grind, repeat. All while overworking yourself, getting burned out, and stuck running the day-to-day of your business.
Let me tell you: there’s life beyond entrepreneurship.
You don’t have to settle.
You don’t have to choose between family/freedom and business.
You can grow your business and earn more while working less.
It all starts with letting go of control.
- Focus on responsibilities that matter you to the most
- Hire a team and let them do the rest!
Breaking the cycle of overworking isn’t easy, but creating a healthier (and more fulfilling lifestyle) is worthwhile.
The Subtle Art of Letting Go in Your Business
You don’t have to be the know-it-all and do-it-all in your business.
You may feel a deep personal connection to your business, spending long hours, sleepless nights, and demands on your time and energy to grow it on your own – but this is not something you can do forever.
Micromanaging every aspect of your business is not an effective long-term strategy. Let go of control, and collaborate with your team to build that solid plan to get you to 7 figures.
Ready to take that next step towards 7 figures? Take this 2-minute quiz to discover your 7-figure Scalability Factor!