Who’s the Boss? Your Business Is

Ask any entrepreneur what they like best about having a business and they’ll likely give some variation on the answer “being my own boss.” However, the most successful small business owners realize that they are actually not the boss — the business is. So are you an employee worth keeping around?

A recent article in Entrepreneur elaborated on the idea of your business being your boss by giving some rules to follow to make sure you don’t get fired. For example, just like any regular employee you should put in the hours at work. At a certain point it’s likely that your business will be staffed well enough that you won’t feel the need to always be there (and you shouldn’t). However that doesn’t mean you should just show up when you feel like it. Create a schedule that makes sense — when you’re business is at its busiest, you should be there.

Just like in the “real” workplace your boss also has their own boss as well: customers. Getting to know your customers and building a good rapport with them is a must. Ultimately they hold the fate of your business in their hands and so they’d better be impressed lest they fire you and your boss.

Ever have a boss who would look over every office supply order and cut all of the things they said you didn’t need? Your business is the same way. Even if the money is technically yours, keeping a close eye on your spending and sticking to a budget is what’s best for business. If you do need to make a major investment or purchase, run it by the boss and see if they think it’s a good idea.

Another important part of being a good employee is to have goals and show progress towards achieving them. You should also have integrity and be prepared to defend the decisions you make while offering more than just excuses for why your goals haven’t been met. Remember: your boss is counting on you… and they know when you’re lying.

Being your own boss is why many entrepreneurs start their own businesses to begin with. Still the tendency for some to slack once their ventures become successful is far too tempting. By treating your business like it’s your boss you can help avoid some these pitfalls and help to keep your company growing.