Think you’ve had a rough day at the office? Here’s how one entrepreneur spent a really bad day:
8 a.m.: Come into the office before anyone else to wrestle over last month’s financials. Don’t trust the book-keeper.
9 a.m.: Morning management meeting. Spend most of the time doing all the talking, because who knows what will happen if you let them speak up?
10 a.m.: Cancel that order for new equipment. Efficiency costs too damn much.
11 a.m.: Interview a job candidate. Ask about their age, religious beliefs, and their interest in having children.
12 a.m.: Grab a quick bite to eat at your desk. There’s a chamber of commerce “meet and greet” over lunch, but things might fall apart if you leave the office.
1 p.m.: Ignore your newest employee as you pass his work station. You don’t want him to know you’ve forgotten his name.
2 p.m.: You just learned one of your team members has won a community service award. You say nothing, because what employees do on their own time has nothing to do with business.
3 p.m.: At marketing meeting, you announce you are cancelling the upcoming customer survey. In tough times, frills have to go.
4 p.m.: Hire the first person you interviewed. She seemed okay, and who has time to check references?
5 p.m.: Write a blogpost about the joys of running your own business.
6 p.m.: Head home for quality time with family.
8 p.m.: Pull out your laptop. Somehow, these financials are going to balance!
In a recent radio interview, I talked about entrepreneurs’ worst mistakes. I truly believe many business owners are their own worst enemy. Most of them never had any training for the job; they owe their success to their personal knowledge of their markets and sound business instincts. But making it up as you go along only gets you so far.
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