I have an important question for other entrepreneurs. Â How much time are you losing by handling your technology needs yourself?
Are you troubleshooting when your website goes down? Scratching your head while the hours slip away as you try to figure out why your email isn’t working?  Trying to ensure your files are backed up reliably?
Many of us start out in our businesses by being do-it-yourselfers. I did. Cash is usually tight in the beginning. The last thing you want to do is spend money. That’s probably the right move when getting started. In the beginning we have more time than money â€" so it’s better to conserve our cash.
But it’s a mistake to stay in the do-it-yourself mode too long.  As the business begins to grow, you need to grow too.  Your daily duties need to shift.  Spending your energies on anything less than the best and highest use of your time is not a good use of a scarce resource: you.
And what is the best use of your time?  Well, for a business owner it’s not tinkering around with backing up files.  Yes, having backed-up files may save your business from certain disaster.  But it doesn’t do much to proactively grow it.  You could do more to grow your business by working on a new pricing strategy or by making community connections that may lead to new customers.
I’m sure you’ve heard the advice about “working on, not in, your business.† It’s more than just a catch phrase. You really must think about what that means.  An old friend of mine said it well â€" and he was extremely successful in his business.  He wrote:
Okay, so what would change if the owner started working on the business? First, he or she would not be the first one in and the last one out. He wouldn’t necessarily come to the store every day. She would be circulating in the community making contacts with other owners of small businesses getting ideas. He would seek out organizations made up of like-minded business people in his community. She would be joining associations like the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and the Lion’s Club. Once a member the owner would be attending regular meetings to become an integral part of the community.
The owner would be expanding his or her circle of associates and yes, even friends, outside the industry. He or she would be spending ‘think time,’ that quiet time spent thinking about the future and how to use all that knowledge bottled up inside but not exercised because of day-to-day pressures.
Did you know that small business owners lose 6 hours of productivity per week by doing IT-related tasks?  Think about those 6 hours.  Multiply those by 50 weeks out of the year (assuming you take two weeks of vacation time).  That’s 300 hours per year â€" 300 hours that could have been spent working on your business instead of in it â€" had you spent it on high-value work.
That’s seven and a half weeks!  What I wouldn’t give for an extra seven and a half weeks of think time, strategy time and relationship building time in my business….
And that’s really how you have to look at it.  Don’t look at how many pennies you can pinch by doing it yourself.  That’s a small-minded approach to running a business.
Look instead at how many opportunities your business may be missing by filling your time up with what is â€" for you â€" low-value-added work.
I am not saying IT activities aren’t important. They are very important. Technology matters a lot today.
IT is just the wrong use of a CEO’s time.
You see, when you become a business owner and CEO, the business takes higher priority in your work day, than what you personally have fallen into a habit of doing. You owe a responsibility to employees, investors, yourself and your family.  It’s no longer about what you find easy to spend your time on.
You have to have the discipline to tackle the longer-term stuff â€" strategy and relationship building.  If you don’t, who will?
So the next time you are tempted to handle some IT task on your own and not wisely use technology, pretend you have a board of directors. Â What would your board say about the company CEO spending time on daily details versus working on strategy and bringing in more revenue?
Image: AMI Partners study for Microsoft - click to see full image
