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Why is it so hard to spend time working on our own business?

In Michigan Creative by Melissa Meschke

As a small business, we are constantly pulled in hundreds of directions at the same time-work on client projects, manage the employees, pay the taxes, buy new equipment-the list goes on and on. Something that always seems to struggle to make it on that list is working on internal processes and issues for our own business.

We spend most of our days here at Michigan Creative working to fix the issues of our clients. Whether it be a non-mobile capable website, lack of marketing message and brand or an old marketing video with wrong information, we are always there to help our clients fix their problems. Don’t get me wrong-I love what we do here and am so happy to be able to help companies reach their goals!

But all too often, we forget to work towards our own goals in the process. Every business needs improvements and can always be run or marketed better, but it seems as though business owners struggle to address those issues.

Below are the top 4 reasons I think we struggle to work on our own business and solutions I’ve come up with to help us out-and I hope they can help you too!

1. Dedication: We are dedicated to our clients. We pride ourselves in being there for our clients no matter what time of day. We try our best to address issues or questions within a few hours of us being made aware of them.

Solution? Become just as dedicated to our own issues and questions. Work with the same urgency to fix issues as we would for our own clients.

2. Fun: We genuinely enjoy what we do and it’s fun for us to work on client projects. Sitting down and coming up with a brand, scripting a video, these are what we come to work every day to do!

Solution? Find fun internal projects to work on at the same time. Make a neat Facebook graphic or have an internal design competition to finally get that I’ve-wanted-this-designed-forever graphic designed!

3. Email: Our favorite, yet most hated aspect of modern business. This comic by the Oatmeal perfectly explains why email is an issue: My Email is a Monster

Solution? Turn it off! Take time in your day to close out that email window and turn off your phone notifications. Also, remind yourself that just because it’s there doesn’t mean you need to respond or even look at it immediately.

4. Scheduling: We constantly adjust our own schedules, move our own meetings, and work our lives around the schedules of our clients. They request meetings and we do our best to make those times work.

Solution? Schedule blocks of time to work on internal projects, issues, employee management, organization, whatever it may be! Then (the hard part) stick to it. Don’t let yourself move that time you’ve scheduled unless its absolutely necessary.

As we look forward to 2015, there are big and very exciting things happening here at Michigan Creative! Both with our clients and within our own business-so stay tuned!

Until next time-

Melissa