For Shelene Taylor, owner of Rubs Massage Studio, doing everything yourself was the only way to run a business.  A self-admitted “control freak” by nature, Taylor launched her massage business (formerly called Changes Massage – now Rubs Massage Studio) back in 1987.  Taylor’s business steadily grew, adding a second location in 1998 and then in 2004 opening her third location (as the new Rubs Massage concept).    

From the very first day her doors opened, Taylor’s hands were involved in every aspect of the business, from doing massage to handling all the administrative, operational, marketing and accounting duties for her business.  A 70-80 hour work week was the norm and the thought of changing her work habits and letting go of control just wasn’t option.  As the business steadily increased, the longer the hours became, which ultimately led to more chaos, more mistakes, more delays and more break downs in her business.  Truly, Taylor had become the bottleneck for her business.

To sum it all up, Taylor states, “For 18 years I attempted to do it all, some things I did well and some I failed at miserably.  When I opened my third location it became very apparent to me that my old way of doing things was not going to support my vision for the future.  I really needed some professional help.”

Taylor’s experience very much mirrors the natural evolution of growing a business.  Early in the infancy of the business, business owners usually “wear all the hats” to keep costs down and it’s also feasible for many to handle all these functions, given a certain amount of business volume.  It may mean pulling some extra evening and weekend hours, but this is just “part of the job.”  But then, as revenues grow and volume builds, the ability maintain all of the functions under one person’s responsibility becomes very challenging.  For those owners who choose to maintain control over many of the basic, but vital functions, burnout is almost inevitable.  Additionally, things will likely to start falling through the cracks.  Missed deadlines, mistakes, oversights, delays, etc. are all common symptoms of the “do it all yourself” owner.  

One of the biggest challenges for owners is knowing the right time to hire someone or when to outsource these functions.  We counsel to do it earlier rather than later, because the faster the pace and more workload to migrate, the more difficult it will likely prove to be when you finally “cut the cord.”  

From a cost perspective, there are several alternatives to bridge the time gap between you doing everything and hiring a part-time or full-time employee to take over the particular responsibility.  Outsourcing the functions (of which again there are many options) may also provide a viable solution that should be evaluated.  Using interns or other individuals you know to assist you with certain projects, on as needed basis, can also be a great way to help bridge the gap.

For Taylor, a profound lesson was learned when she finally concluded that in order to grow and maintain the great team she had built, she had to relinquish control of many responsibilities.  In 2000, she hired her first manager.  Her major mindset shift then occurred in 2004 when Taylor opened her third store.  Hiring a business coach, along with some other professionals in accounting, IT and marketing helped her get the right expertise to better run her operations and leverage each professional’s knowledge to improve her business in all areas.  

Taylor states, “I learned that in order to keep my business thriving I needed to be more balanced in my life, allow my managers to manage without breathing down their necks and to sit down and make a business plan to use as a compass for my company.  I had always maintained control over doing all the functions, having most of the systems in my head – and couldn’t figure out why no one else had the same “common sense” as I did!”

Subsequent to making this important transition in her business, Taylor now many of the right systems and key people in place to allow her to focus on the “long view” and maintain a thriving course of action for continued growth of her business, which includes opening a fourth location in the near future.  

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