Be careful what you wish for…

Business owners - want to get out of daily operations? It’s possible! But be careful what you wish for…

I just had 🍻 with one of my business owner clients. It was 3:00 in the afternoon on a Wednesday, and he wasn't on vacation. That means his business was running without him. He was FREE. We had been working for 2 YEARS to make this happen. And on his first day of freedom he chose to meet me so we could celebrate and strategize. If you hope to free yourself from your business, you MUST be incredibly strategic.

If you free yourself from your business you had better anticipate a few things, or they will blindside you when you least expect it.

I remember one of my entrepreneurial mentors a while back giving similar admonishment. The human condition is a traumatic place, full of existential angst. We all experience and distract ourselves from it, and working is a big way. Keep at the daily grind and you don't need to face it. Free yourself and it will QUICKLY find you.

My client told me he was happy to be out of the business, but had a certain uneasiness. As we talked through to its root, he realized it was likely GUILT. The guilt of freedom. Talk about first world problems! But I get it. Because that class struggle stuff runs deep, even if you feel like your politics insulates you from it.

Be careful what you wish for.

Want to avoid the existential angst when you finally get free of your daily operations? Here’s 3 commitments you must make:

1️⃣ Commit to your business - Ultimately becoming free means you can work on the business from 30,000 feet. You can work on it in a way that’s just not possible when you’re in it. Commit to continual improvement so your freedom endures. It’s easier when you’re out.

2️⃣ Commit to leadership - If you want your team to continue to respect and follow you when you’re not there every day, you need to show up as a leader consistently and leave people better than when you found them 100% of the time. Good leaders constantly model pursuing what they want instead of complaining about what they don’t, and the best leaders help others do the same.

3️⃣ Commit to purpose - We humans are visionary creatures, and we’re capable of tapping into something truly divine. Daily work often keeps us from seeing this possibility. But part of the existential anxiety is your soul crying out for purpose! I’ve come to see that purpose is a realm, and our spirit must be periodically refreshed to renew our vision. I have AMAZING talks with my leadership clients as I help them navigate this realm. Where do you go when you are finally free?

After our meeting, my client was refreshed, his angst abated, and he was ready to get on with the work of leadership and purpose, free from daily operations. He’s not going back, but this is because he was prepared. If this is what you think you want, be careful what you wish for.

I’m happy to talk if you want to think through the 3 commitments for yourself.