Working IN Your Business or ON It? Why You Need BOTH

As a small business owner, it’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day grind.

You’re probably wearing multiple hats—managing clients, handling finances, and making sure jobs get done on time. But here’s the big question: are you spending all your time working in your business, or are you making time to work on it too?

Many leaders, especially in small businesses, focus heavily on the immediate tasks that keep their operations running. And while that’s crucial, it’s equally important to step back and think about the bigger picture—your business growth, strategy, and leadership development.

In this post, we’ll explore why you need to balance both working in and on your business to foster success, how to avoid the constant cycle of “fire-fighting,” and how adopting a growth mindset, rooted in Motivational Intelligence (MQ), can help you thrive.

What Does It Mean to Work IN Your Business?

Working in your business means focusing on the tasks that keep things moving day by day. This includes everything from answering client emails to managing payroll, overseeing projects, or troubleshooting problems. These tasks are essential, but they often consume so much of your time that there’s little left for strategic thinking or long-term planning.

For many small business owners, working in the business feels like the most immediate priority. You’re on-site solving issues, talking to clients, and making sure things are getting done. But if you’re constantly in “fire-fighting” mode—jumping from one urgent problem to the next—you risk never having the time to plan for the future.

The Trap of Fire-Fighting

Fire-fighting in business refers to the constant reaction to urgent issues. Whether it’s dealing with an unhappy client, managing a staffing crisis, or addressing a last-minute problem on a project, fire-fighting often becomes the norm for small business owners. And while putting out fires might make you feel productive, it’s a short-term fix that can actually keep your business from growing.

When you’re always reacting, you’re too busy dealing with the latest emergency to think ahead. Fire-fighting pulls your focus away from innovation, leadership development, and the long-term strategy that could help you prevent these fires in the first place. It’s a vicious cycle—without stepping back to work on your business, you’ll keep facing the same problems over and over again.

Working ON Your Business: The Key to Growth

To escape the fire-fighting trap, you need to carve out time to work on your business. This means focusing on the bigger picture—setting long-term goals, creating systems that prevent problems, and developing leadership skills that help your team work more independently.

Working on your business includes:

• Strategic Planning: Setting clear business goals for the next year or even five years.
• Streamlining Processes: Implementing systems that reduce the need for fire-fighting by making things run more smoothly.
• Leadership Development: Focusing on growing your own leadership abilities and training your team to take on more responsibility.
• Scaling for Growth: Looking for opportunities to expand or diversify your services.

By dedicating time to these areas, you can move beyond constant fire-fighting and start building a business that not only survives but thrives.

Mindset and Leadership: The Growth Mindset Approach

To successfully work both in and on your business, you need the right mindset—specifically, a growth mindset. In leadership, a growth mindset is all about believing that your abilities and the abilities of your team can be developed through dedication and hard work. This is where Motivational Intelligence (MQ) comes into play.

MQ is the science of understanding why people do what they do and helping individuals unlock their potential. Leaders with high MQ are able to maintain a growth mindset, empowering themselves and their teams to adapt, learn, and grow in the face of challenges.

When you have a growth mindset, you see every problem as an opportunity to improve and every mistake as a learning experience. This mindset is crucial for working on your business because it pushes you to innovate, take risks, and think beyond the present. It’s what separates businesses that stagnate from those that grow.

Why You Need BOTH

Here’s the truth: you can’t choose between working in your business or on it. You need both. While you can’t ignore the everyday tasks that keep the lights on, you also need to carve out time for strategic planning, leadership development, and growth initiatives.

Balancing both roles requires discipline and, again, the right mindset. Too often, small business owners feel like they can’t step away from the daily grind because everything will fall apart. But here’s the thing: if you’re constantly in reactive “fire-fighting” mode, you’ll never have the bandwidth to plan for the future.

By focusing on working on your business, you’ll develop systems, processes, and a team that can handle the day-to-day without your constant oversight. You’ll create a business that can grow, even when you’re not in the trenches every single day.

Practical Tips for Balancing Both

So, how do you strike the right balance between working in and on your business? Here are a few practical tips:

1. Schedule Time for Strategic Thinking

Block out time in your calendar each week to focus on long-term goals and strategy. Even if it’s just an hour or two, dedicating time to working on your business is essential for growth.

2. Delegate More

If you find yourself constantly working in your business, it may be time to delegate. Trust your team to handle certain tasks so you can focus on bigger-picture projects.

3.Invest in Leadership Development

Investing in yourself and your leadership skills will benefit both your personal growth and your business’s success. Whether it’s through coaching, training, or workshops, developing your leadership is key to scaling your business.

4. Adopt a Growth Mindset

Embrace the growth mindset in every aspect of your business. See challenges as opportunities and invest in developing both yourself and your team. MQ training can be a valuable resource for fostering this mindset and empowering your team to thrive.

5. Set Clear Goals

When working on your business, set clear, actionable goals that align with your long-term vision. Break these goals down into smaller steps to make them more manageable.

Final Thoughts?

Running a small business is no easy task but finding the balance between working in and on your business is crucial for long-term success. By adopting a growth mindset and focusing on both the immediate tasks and the big-picture strategy, you’ll set yourself—and your business—up for sustainable growth.

Ready to break free from fire-fighting and start growing your business with purpose?Visit our free resources page for ebooks and guides designed to help you strengthen your leadership and grow your business.

Plus, explore how our fully funded leadership development training can empower you and your team to thrive. All our programmes – including our worlds-first Executive Diploma in Leading With Motivational Intelligence (MQ) and our Business Growth Academy – and our fully online Self-Leadership Development programme and multiple Executive, Team and Business Coaching have been created with passion and commitment to our mission.

👉 Check out our free resources and learn more here!

James Fleming
The Power Within Training,
The Motivational Intelligence Company
[email protected]