Feeling Like A Control Freak Business Owner? Here’s How To Let Go Without Costing Yourself Anything
Wanting to maintain control over your business isn’t a bad thing. You’re clearly someone who cares what happens, who pays attention to the details, and wants to be sure your customers get the best experience possible every single time.
However, being the one in charge often means getting a little caught up in your own sense of control. This can soon lead to more ‘control freak’ type behaviors, and that’s not good for business.
Not only can being a control freak make you a bad boss, but it can also be damaging to your own sense of work/life balance, and ultimately, your mental health. No one needs to be bogged down in every little thing their business needs to do – especially when you’ve put together a team to handle the workload with you.
But you may be worried that letting go of this control will cost you; in money, in customers, and even in the well-oiled internal operations you’ve managed to string together. Yet, this is rarely the case. In fact, going on as you’re acting right now is more likely to be detrimental to these three factors.
So let’s make sure you can let go without losing what you’ve worked so hard to build. If you’re a business owner who’s been acting a bit like a control freak lately, here’s what you need to hear.
Remember, Your Business is Staffed with Capable People
You’ve put a team together for a reason: you need capable people around you to help you get the job done. That’s always something to keep in mind when you feel like you’re in an obsessive control spiral. You don’t need to take on the entire workload yourself, and you certainly don’t need to discount their efforts as you do so.
Your team is skilled. They’ve been trained. And you’re the one they’re looking to to stay on the right track. Don’t let them down by focusing on the wrong things, or allowing yourself to be swept away by the leadership role itself. It’s OK to delegate – in fact, it’s essential to do so. And the more you delegate, the closer your team is going to work.
A Bad Customer Service Experience isn’t Terrible
Sometimes a customer walks away disliking your business. They may send you a note to say so, or simply leave a bad review. They may even tell others in their circle not to use you or buy your products. This all sounds bad, right? Yes. But it’s also nothing you need to focus on.
One person finding your service worse than you want them to isn’t a terrible thing. It’s especially the wrong thing to focus on when everyone else who’s worked with you has only glowing things to say!
Every single business that’s ever come into being has received a bad review. Every business is capable of having a bad day on the customer service desk. Sometimes, you’re not going to be able to fulfill every single customer need.
Accepting this is part of being a business owner. It’s not something you should chase down and try to rectify with every resource you have – both mentally and financially.
Everyone Gets Supply Chain Issues
This is one of the biggest frustrations any business owner has to deal with. Your supply chain makes up the entire backend of your business, and if one of the links goes weak and falls off, the entire chain will be disrupted.
Of course, the best way to deal with a supply chain issue is to work out if something is going wrong internally. This is where you do, in fact, have control. Your stockroom, for example, is one area of the supply chain that’s entirely up to you to organize. Look at your layout, think about your rotation system, and ensure you’re ordering in the right amounts using your forecasts.
Otherwise, you’ll want to start working with Supply Chain Consultants to take the onus off of you. Consultants like these can let you know where your operations could be better, if you’re doing anything wrong in the interim, and highlight where your suppliers could be messing up. They’ll have insight you don’t have access to, and sometimes a bit more vision is all you really need to put your focus back in the right place.
Stop Comparing Your Business To Others
Comparing your business to another business can send you on a very negative journey. You need to research your competitors from time to time to ensure you’re marketing with the right edge, but you don’t need to use this data for any other reason than to your advantage.
When we compare – especially in the business world – we lose sight of what makes us unique. A well developed USP will always see you through, and you should never lose sight of your own.
Feeling Out of Control? It’s OK to Let Go of a Few Things
If you’re feeling out of control in your role as a business owner, sometimes you just need to let a few things go! It’s OK to not be in control all the time, and you’re allowed to have a few bad days. It can feel easier to try and get a firm grip on the reins as a result, but it’s rarely the best course of action.
Instead, look to the points above and let them help you. Delegate to those around you, remember that you’ve put together a team of the best, and that every business is different.
And most of all, bad customer service experiences happen to everyone! You’re doing your best otherwise to ensure your clients always get the right experience from you, but that will occasionally fall through.
Look to feedback to see what people really want from you, make sure you trust your team, and don’t feel you have to be in charge 24/7. You’ll still be in business tomorrow, and you’ll still be working toward your long term goals.