It's one of the most repeated phrases in the business world. Work on your business, not in it. You've probably said it yourself, maybe even to someone else who needed to hear it. But here's the uncomfortable truth. Most owners still can't tell you what it actually looks like in practice. They know the phrase. They haven't made the shift.
What Working In the Business Actually Looks Like
Working in the business means doing the work that should belong to someone else on your team. It's answering customer emails that a support person should be handling. It's doing the bookkeeping instead of hiring or delegating it. It's being pulled into every operational fire because no one else has been trained or trusted to put it out.
It feels productive because you're busy all day. But it's the kind of busy that keeps your business exactly the size it is right now.
What Working On the Business Actually Looks Like
Working on the business means stepping back to build the team, cast the vision, and create the systems that allow the company to grow beyond where it currently stands.
It's hiring and developing people who can take work off your plate permanently. It's building processes that don't depend on your involvement. It's setting the direction and strategy instead of being consumed by daily execution.
This work often feels less urgent in the moment, which is exactly why it gets neglected. There's no immediate fire to put out. But it's the only work that actually moves your business forward.
Why the Shift Is So Hard to Make
Most owners understand this concept intellectually. Making the actual shift is harder for a few honest reasons.
It requires giving up control, even when you're not sure someone else will do it as well as you would. It requires investing time upfront in training and systems instead of just doing the task yourself in five minutes. And it requires sitting with the discomfort of not being needed for every single decision.
None of that is easy. But all of it is necessary if you want your business to grow past what you can personally handle.
Practical First Steps to Make the Shift
You don't need to overhaul everything overnight. Start with these steps.
- Track your time for one week. Write down every task you do and categorize it as in the business or on the business. Most owners are shocked by the results.
- Identify your three most time consuming in the business tasks. These are your priorities for delegation.
- Find or develop the right person to own each of those tasks. This might mean hiring, promoting, or simply training someone already on your team.
- Document the process so it can be handed off cleanly, not just verbally explained once and hoped for the best.
- Block dedicated time each week for on the business work. Vision, strategy, systems, and team development. Treat it as a non-negotiable meeting with yourself.
The Payoff
Owners who successfully make this shift end up with more than just extra time. They build businesses that are more valuable, more resilient, and less dependent on any single person, including themselves.
That's the real difference between owning a job and owning a business.
Ready to Start Working On Your Business Instead of In It?
At ActionCOACH North Kansas City, we help owners identify what to delegate, build the systems to support it, and reclaim their time for the work that actually grows the company. Start with two weeks of free business coaching and find out where you're spending time that should belong to someone else. Start Your 2 Weeks of FREE Business Coaching