One man's work is another man's party.
The topic of discussion from last week's live Inbound Networker's group meeting seems like an ageless question, and one that I think is completely subjective. For some, work is those things that they have to do, but don't like to do. Chores.
But what is one person's idea of work is another person's idea of fun. For example, I love gardening. To someone else, yard work is the last thing they want to do on a Saturday afternoon. In business, if you do not enjoy selling, then having to sell is a task you do drudgingly. To someone who loves to sell (yes- they do exist) it's not work at all, it's fun.
Popular Books for New Entrepreneurs
Working less but earning more is one of the main reasons we seek our own path as entrepreneurs. Here are a few of the more popular ones:
"The 4 Hour Work Week" is certainly one of the most well known and recent books published on the subject. I admit that I haven't read it, but have picked up a few of the habits the author recommends such as only checking email at certain times of day, using virtual assistants, and outsourcing whenever possible.
Now consider another popular book amongst entrepreneurs "The E-Myth". Why was it so popular? As the author Michael Gerber points out, far too many small businesses work too much for too little return. So how does that jive with only working 4 hours a week?
One more popular book to consider, "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People." For me personally, this is the most useful guide I found for time management.
In all 3 of the books, the lesson wasn't about working less hours, it was a matter of seeing how I manage my time and how it aligns with what my values and priorities are and understanding what I am best at and enjoy the most. Do what you love, and you will never work a day in your life.
Here is a summary of what other Inbound Networkers had to say:
Jeff Drust, Jeff Drust Consulting
"To do less, don't do- delegate. Focus on the important, not the urgent. To earn more, look at the things that are the most profitable activities. Look at your strategy. Most don't maximize what they can achieve with their current market and clients. Pricing is way low compared to the value that they are offering."
"Don't waste time with overly complicated technology. Look at the value how what you are really getting, how much time are you really saving?"
Matt Roberge, Salt Lake City Bookkeeping
"Delegate and outsource. Know what you do, what do you sell? If it's not what you sell, should you really being doing that? Don't try to do too much yourself to save money. It will cost you more in time and lost sales. It requires a change in mentality."
Have something to add to the conversation? Join us for the next weekly topic discussion by joining the Inbound Networkers Linkedin group where you can vote for the next topic, access the meeting link, or simply follow up on the group discussion.
