If you want to grow your business (and I don’t know why you’d be watching my stuff if you didn’t) then this little metaphor about taking your belt off is important. When you started your business, it was probably just you so you did everything. As you start growing, hiring tradespeople and apprentices, ‘just you’ isn’t the most practical solution anymore. 

It starts to become more important for you to be finding work for your team to do than it is for you to do ‘work’ yourself. But that is a difficult adjustment, isn’t it? 

It feels a bit like cheating, not being on the tools yourself. Or not doing quotes or invoicing yourself (insert whichever job feels hard to let go of here).

Now this is a journey, and you make it in steps, not in one big jump. I’m not suggesting you stop being a toolbelt-wearing tradie all at once and start wearing a suit to work. 

Not all at once anyway, and you don’t actually have to wear the suit. 

But there’s a lot to be said for the metaphor of taking your toolbelt off and hanging it up. In fairness, there’s value in dressing differently, too, especially when you’re in sales mode and meeting potential customers. 

The metaphor is useful to help you remember you have different jobs in your business – different roles. Sometimes you should have your toolbelt on, and you should be on the tools, and sometimes you shouldn’t; instead you should be working on winning more work, following up leads and working on the growth o your business 

Lots of tradies, especially those quoting big jobs for wealthy people or large companies, feel that people (customers) look down their noses at them – like they think they are better than you because you’re ‘just a tradie’ – fuck that. 

When you’re meeting people, shatter their ignorant perceptions, their preformulated stereotypes and judgment about tradespeople. 

Get out of your work clothes and boots and present yourself in the manner of a business owner. Just as business-orientated as they are. 

So the metaphor has become a reality now, hasn’t it? Hang up your toolbelt and move on to the things that will help your business become as successful as you envisage it. 

Remember that this is a journey though. It’s an important part of building a good business. Focusing on and making time and room for the right work and changing your mindset about being on the tools or in the guts of your business. 

Want help hanging up your toolbelt? Book a call with one of our strategy experts or come as my guest to our Client Quarterly Intensive in May. 

Comment ‘INTENSIVE’ for the details.