How to Build a Business that Runs Without You: Part 2

In yesterday’s post I shared my journey of opening a bookstore and putting the business on auto-pilot. After I sold the store, I found myself running a freelance marketing business. I wrote articles for trade publications, wrote copy for websites and marketing collateral, continued writing books, managing BusinessInfoGuide.com, and also worked as a professional speaker. Just looking at that list of tasks today makes me want to hyperventilate! There was just too much on my plate.

I also faced the reality that my business wasn’t scalable. If I was the only one providing services, it put a ceiling on my earning potential. I had some help from a virtual assistant, but I was still at the heart of the business doing the majority of the work.

Then I had an inspiration. I had self-published my first book and that led to several subsequent traditional publishing contracts. I had a love for all-things-publishing and a marketing background and realized there was an opportunity to develop a custom publishing service specializing in non-fiction books.

In 2008, Authority Publishing was born. I let go of my freelance writing work, hired some help to handle some of my legacy marketing clients, and most importantly, hired the right people to produce books. I am not an editor or a book designer or a project manager. Starting a publishing company forced me to build a team of talented people to do the work, leaving me time to focus on my strengths: sales and marketing. This move also left me more time for writing my own books and continuing to speak at business events.

I see a lot of freelancers get caught in this trap. When you’re the only one producing the work, you not only risk burn-out, you put a cap on your earnings potential. If you want to expand your services, you need to hire people who do what you do—or expand and offer other services that are delivered by a team of talented professionals.

When I look back now on how overwhelmed I was trying to keep up with everything, I am incredibly grateful for the decision to start the publishing company. Today I have a fantastic work-life balance and more creative freedom than I ever imagined possible.

You can too! But it won’t happen until you make the bold move to hire some help and expand your services. I bet you’ll be glad you did!