Here at CTWPS, we work with many entrepreneurs and small business owners. It is often an inspired and exciting focus for clients. Owning your own business has many advantages - the capacity to define your work hours and focus, increased flexibility, less caretaking of an external organization or manager, and the potential for increased profit, to name just a few.
The downsides can also include financial unpredictability, a sense of hyper-responsibility, anxiety around the ebb and flow of business, and the labor included in the “work around work”.
What is the work around work?
I define the “work around work” as all of the labor that goes into maintaining a business that is not necessarily the focus of or product of the business itself. It includes everything from bookkeeping, networking, billing, marketing, hiring, managing, and firing staff, to all levels of administrative support and decision-making for the business. In my experience working with clients in small business/entrepreneurship, the work around work is the first thing that slips, as people typically prefer to focus on the main product of their business.
But when the work around work slips, it is likely to be the first thing to increase anxiety for the small business owner/entrepreneur. Why? Because when the infrastructure that supports the business becomes wonky, it eventually manifests in an interruption of business.
I typically recommend that clients spend at least 4 hours a week on the “work around work” to avoid disruptions in their business. Whether we work for ourselves, or an external organization, I think it’s important to acknowledge all of the aspects of labor in which we engage. Then we can make an educated risk assessment about whether we are suited to remaining an employee, or are set up for success to venture into our own business.
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If you or someone you know is struggling in their work,
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