Last year I wrote about getting out of the office--structuring my business so that I had more time for other pursuits. I am happy to report that I have largely been successful in accomplishing this goal.
To be honest, I cannot take complete credit for this. Our leads have declined, partially because of some reduced advertising and partially due to the economy. Regardless, my business requires much less effort than in previous years--often less than 10 hours a week.
So what am I doing with my time? I have been doing a great deal more writing. I have also been spending a fair amount of time working in my yard. Earlier this year I remodeled my dining room and laundry room.
I could certainly spend 40 to 50 hours a week working on my business. I choose not to. I make an income that is satisfactory, while having the time to pursue other interests. I have created a lifestyle business--that is, a business that allows me to live the lifestyle I desire. While more money is always welcome, it isn't all about the money. There are other factors to consider as well. Besides, some of my other interests are also producing income.
The reduced workload has allowed me to spend more time with my wife. Actually, I am with her a lot anyhow, since she works with me. But we are now spending time doing things that are more enjoyable. And she also has more time for pursuits that are of more interest to her.
A lifestyle business isn't for everyone. Many people have children to feed, college to finance, or other financial considerations that make a lifestyle business impractical. But when money is not the highest priority, such a business has a lot of benefits.
Showing posts with label getting out of the office. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting out of the office. Show all posts
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Friday, November 14, 2008
Communications Issues
At this point the biggest challenge I will face in Getting out of the Office is maintaining good communications with customers and field personnel. Our office is typically staffed from 8 AM to 4:30 PM by my wife. This allows us to answer the phones live, schedule appointments and jobs, relay information, etc. is an efficient and timely manner.
If we are no longer manning the office all day long, we will face some significant communications challenges. We are considering several options: forwarding all calls to a cell phone; using voice mail and checking messages remotely; hiring a part-time office assistant; or, using Virtual PBX.
Each has some pros and cons. Forwarding phone calls to a cell phone would mean that we are "on call" all of the time, which partially defeats our purpose. We could of course, allow calls to go to voice mail. Checking phone messages remotely would allow us to do so on our schedule, but it can be slow. Hiring a part-time office assistant will impose additional costs, but would likely be the most effective.
Virtual PBX is a service I have used for several years. This service provides us with several phone numbers that are routed to our office. We use this for the other contractors we sell paint jobs for. When our phone rings, Virtual PBX identifies which company the call is for, so we can answer the call appropriately. During off hours voice mail messages are emailed to a designated recipient, so there is no need to periodically check messages.
While this isn't an earth shattering issue, it demonstrates why it is important to identify and evaluate different options when you are planning to get out of the bucket. There is seldom a perfect solution to a problem, and sometimes the best solution may be a combination of several.
Stay tuned as we work on getting out of the office.
If we are no longer manning the office all day long, we will face some significant communications challenges. We are considering several options: forwarding all calls to a cell phone; using voice mail and checking messages remotely; hiring a part-time office assistant; or, using Virtual PBX.
Each has some pros and cons. Forwarding phone calls to a cell phone would mean that we are "on call" all of the time, which partially defeats our purpose. We could of course, allow calls to go to voice mail. Checking phone messages remotely would allow us to do so on our schedule, but it can be slow. Hiring a part-time office assistant will impose additional costs, but would likely be the most effective.
Virtual PBX is a service I have used for several years. This service provides us with several phone numbers that are routed to our office. We use this for the other contractors we sell paint jobs for. When our phone rings, Virtual PBX identifies which company the call is for, so we can answer the call appropriately. During off hours voice mail messages are emailed to a designated recipient, so there is no need to periodically check messages.
While this isn't an earth shattering issue, it demonstrates why it is important to identify and evaluate different options when you are planning to get out of the bucket. There is seldom a perfect solution to a problem, and sometimes the best solution may be a combination of several.
Stay tuned as we work on getting out of the office.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Identifying Our Options
Getting out of the Office presents us with numerous options. Some are more obvious than others. And some may take considerable digging to identify. To repeat yesterday's theme, that is why beginning with the end in mind is so important. If I know what I want to do, I can start looking for the best way to do it.
The Internet certainly makes it much easier to discover new processes, services, and ideas. It is such a useful and powerful tool that I sometimes wonder how I ever survived without it. But it is only a tool, and like any tool, its usefulness is ultimately determined by the skills and imagination of the user.
Search engines are a prime example. There are many keywords that one can choose when conducting a search. And, while most search engines are somewhat intuitive, they can only utilize the information entered. For example, if I enter "paint" in Google, the first page is primarily manufacturers. However, if I enter "paint contractor" I get entirely different results. This may seem obvious, but it has big implications.
Let's say I decide that my goal is to work from home. This is a pretty vague goal, and could mean virtually anything. Am I going to operate my own business? If so, what kind? Am I simply going to telecommute? If so, for whom? Am I going to stuff envelopes, or operate some kind of phone service, or what? I could do any of these and work at home. Because my goal is so vague, the options are almost unlimited.
But if I decide my goal is to write 30 hours a week, while operating my paint contracting business remotely, I have really narrowed things down. I now know specifically what I am shooting for, and the options also narrow.
But even with a very specific goal, I still need to discover what options are available for dealing with the myriad issues that will arise. For example, what options are available that will allow me to access customer information remotely? Which leads to another questions-- how do I find out?
While this example is relatively simple, it illustrates a bigger issue. It can be quite easy to limit ourselves to false alternatives, to give ourselves fewer options than really exist. The result may a solution that is inadequate, or worse, abandonment of our goal because the options do not seem realistic.
The Internet certainly makes it much easier to discover new processes, services, and ideas. It is such a useful and powerful tool that I sometimes wonder how I ever survived without it. But it is only a tool, and like any tool, its usefulness is ultimately determined by the skills and imagination of the user.
Search engines are a prime example. There are many keywords that one can choose when conducting a search. And, while most search engines are somewhat intuitive, they can only utilize the information entered. For example, if I enter "paint" in Google, the first page is primarily manufacturers. However, if I enter "paint contractor" I get entirely different results. This may seem obvious, but it has big implications.
Let's say I decide that my goal is to work from home. This is a pretty vague goal, and could mean virtually anything. Am I going to operate my own business? If so, what kind? Am I simply going to telecommute? If so, for whom? Am I going to stuff envelopes, or operate some kind of phone service, or what? I could do any of these and work at home. Because my goal is so vague, the options are almost unlimited.
But if I decide my goal is to write 30 hours a week, while operating my paint contracting business remotely, I have really narrowed things down. I now know specifically what I am shooting for, and the options also narrow.
But even with a very specific goal, I still need to discover what options are available for dealing with the myriad issues that will arise. For example, what options are available that will allow me to access customer information remotely? Which leads to another questions-- how do I find out?
While this example is relatively simple, it illustrates a bigger issue. It can be quite easy to limit ourselves to false alternatives, to give ourselves fewer options than really exist. The result may a solution that is inadequate, or worse, abandonment of our goal because the options do not seem realistic.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Begin with the End in Mind
Yesterday I mentioned the importance of identifying the goal of Getting out of the Office, that is, what we want the business to look like in the end. The same applies to Getting out of the Bucket--what do you want your business to look like when you are no longer painting each day.
Identifying the end is important in several respects. Most importantly, it provides direction and and gives us a destination. If we don't know where we are going, how will we know when we get there? Also, it provides us with a certain psychological motivation. If we can envision our goal, that goal becomes more real. In a sense, we get a certain experience of it, which can help move us forward.
For me, Getting out of the Office is the means to another end. I want to spend more time writing magazine articles, and perhaps a book. This requires large segments of uninterrupted time, which is hard to get sitting in an office with a phone ringing every 20 minutes. I would also like to do more traveling, both for pleasure and for researching writing assignments.
These goals necessitate the need to have procedures that allow me to spend minimal time communicating with customers and field personnel, while simultaneously keeping everyone informed. And I need to be able to do this whether I am working in my home office or I am out of town.
Identifying my end goals has allowed me to identify the issues that I must address. For example, how will phone calls be handled? How will appointments be scheduled? How will I access customer files remotely? How will we prepare job folders and schedule jobs if we are out of town? By beginning with the end in mind, I now have a better idea of how I will get there. And I will certainly have a lot fewer surprises along the way.
Identifying the end is important in several respects. Most importantly, it provides direction and and gives us a destination. If we don't know where we are going, how will we know when we get there? Also, it provides us with a certain psychological motivation. If we can envision our goal, that goal becomes more real. In a sense, we get a certain experience of it, which can help move us forward.
For me, Getting out of the Office is the means to another end. I want to spend more time writing magazine articles, and perhaps a book. This requires large segments of uninterrupted time, which is hard to get sitting in an office with a phone ringing every 20 minutes. I would also like to do more traveling, both for pleasure and for researching writing assignments.
These goals necessitate the need to have procedures that allow me to spend minimal time communicating with customers and field personnel, while simultaneously keeping everyone informed. And I need to be able to do this whether I am working in my home office or I am out of town.
Identifying my end goals has allowed me to identify the issues that I must address. For example, how will phone calls be handled? How will appointments be scheduled? How will I access customer files remotely? How will we prepare job folders and schedule jobs if we are out of town? By beginning with the end in mind, I now have a better idea of how I will get there. And I will certainly have a lot fewer surprises along the way.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Getting Out of the Office
Last week I wrote about the Four Hour Workweek and stated my intention to spend less time on my contracting business in 2009. As I work through this process I will share how I address the issues that arise, the tools I use to do so, and some of the procedures and processes I develop. While my goal may be different from yours, the same principles apply to Getting out of the Bucket as to Getting out of the Office.
My wife works with me in the office, so Getting out of the Office applies to both of us. Doing so will require some changes in our business, such as communications with customers, accessing information, scheduling, etc. Addressing these issues, and developing procedures is our primary goal for the next several months.
We have several motivations for Getting out of the Office. The most important is that we would like to spend more time pursuing other interests. It is difficult to do this when tethered to an office.
We have considered selling the business but see no real reason to do so. We make a pretty decent income while working part-time. Maintaining a business that generates semi-passive income simply makes the most financial sense at this point.
As I mentioned, the principles involved in this are essentially the same as Getting out of the Bucket. In both situations there is a need to maintain operations while the owner is not omnipresent. This presents numerous challenges, and while the details of those challenges differ, the same basic approach applies-- develop systems and procedures.
Our first step in this process is identifying our end goal, that is, what we want to accomplish and what we want our business to look like in the end. In other words, we first need to know where we are going before we can decide how to get there.
My wife works with me in the office, so Getting out of the Office applies to both of us. Doing so will require some changes in our business, such as communications with customers, accessing information, scheduling, etc. Addressing these issues, and developing procedures is our primary goal for the next several months.
We have several motivations for Getting out of the Office. The most important is that we would like to spend more time pursuing other interests. It is difficult to do this when tethered to an office.
We have considered selling the business but see no real reason to do so. We make a pretty decent income while working part-time. Maintaining a business that generates semi-passive income simply makes the most financial sense at this point.
As I mentioned, the principles involved in this are essentially the same as Getting out of the Bucket. In both situations there is a need to maintain operations while the owner is not omnipresent. This presents numerous challenges, and while the details of those challenges differ, the same basic approach applies-- develop systems and procedures.
Our first step in this process is identifying our end goal, that is, what we want to accomplish and what we want our business to look like in the end. In other words, we first need to know where we are going before we can decide how to get there.
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