Many agency owners share a common frustration – they don't have enough time. As a result, they can't meet their clients' requirements and can't get out of their current position. And working on their agency becomes overwhelming, and it takes a toll on their mental health.
Admittedly, eliminating this mindset isn't always easy. It affects you every day and makes you feel like you're on a hamster wheel. You think you'll never see the light at the end of the tunnel or catch your breath due to all the work.
You spend 80 hours a week developing your agency. But instead of providing you with freedom, it's trapped you. You can never have a day off and spend some time with your family. The effect is suffocating, and you no longer do the things you enjoy.
The good news is that there's a way out of your situation.
Now, you might think we'll suggest adding more clients and money, but that's not the case. More customers are what caused your struggles, and doubling down on this approach would only exacerbate your difficulties.
Instead, you'll need to get out of this mindset. Free up some time by making specific adjustments. And this article will list four tips on how to implement those adjustments.
Any agency owner can end up in a bad place if they aren’t conscious of where they spend their time. It even happened to me due to my misconceptions about running a company.
You see, I worked 80+ hours per week and was utterly exhausted. It’s because I thought business owners were meant to work this much to succeed. I believed you had to sacrifice many things to make your way to the top, even if it took a toll on your health.
That's exactly what happened to me.
I didn't have the physical or mental capacity to cope with my tasks. Therefore, my body almost collapsed. I felt like I would cave in at any moment since I couldn't take any time off work.
That served as a wake-up call. I learned I wasn't meant to struggle so much to be successful. Instead, my decisions had put me in this position and created a frustrating life.
I realized I had enough time to turn my life around, but I had to snap out of the vicious circle. It took a conscious choice to take action and improve my life.
You should make the same choice to effect change.
Once you've decided to change your life, you'll first need to create boundaries. You should allow yourself to focus on key areas of your agency by listing your priorities. Establish what you must complete every day and get the job done no matter what.
A great starting point is to adopt the do-delegate-discard mentality when setting your boundaries. And here’s how it works:
The first part consists of your priorities.
The second chunk consists of things that need to be done, but they're not urgent. You can delegate them to other team members.
The final group comprises tasks you don't need to complete. You can discard them to avoid wasting time.
Keep in mind that setting these boundaries doesn't always go flawlessly.
You may feel inclined to remain in your current position, allowing your work to overwhelm you. Or, you’d still want to put in a few more hours. Otherwise, the agency may crumble.
Leaving this mentality behind is tough, but you'll need to make a choice. After all, your pursuit of success is nowhere near as important as your well-being.
Setting boundaries should help you make significant changes in your agency and in your life. As you spend more and more time away from your desk, you'll see tremendous progress.
Addressing your priorities only frees up more downtime. You'll feel better, your energy levels will skyrocket, and you'll be able to solve problems a lot faster.
One of the main reasons agency owners work too hard is that they underutilize their team. They subject themselves to unnecessary stress, thinking their employees can't take on more duties.
The reality is entirely the opposite.
Your team members are eager to take on more responsibilities. It helps them showcase their creativity and provides a sense of accomplishment, knowing they contribute to the agency's success.
That means doing most of the work on your own makes your employees feel undervalued. It creates a culture of non-thinkers that can only follow your commands.
Although you're likely the thought leader of the company, you need to rely on your team more. This is especially important as you grow your business. Managing an agency that's three times larger than when you started is virtually impossible on your own. The interactions change, and your employees should carry some of the load.
While change is gradual, even thinking about moving the needle one day at a time can put you in the appropriate mindset.
Figure out what you should do every day to achieve progress. Put your mind to it, and don't let anything impede your accomplishments.
By keeping your eyes on the prize, you'll be one step closer to your goal.
You can't influence many factors that impact your leadership abilities in your agency. But you can change your mindset. Remember, it's often the main culprit regarding your lack of time, and it leaves you snowed under with work.
This problem will be history once you take action.
Set your boundaries, rely on your team, and move the needle gradually until you're happy with your position.
For more advice about running an agency, contact Creative Agency Success. And if you want to streamline your business, Apply to our Agency Accelerator Program today.