James talks about finding your sweet spot as a founder and outsourcing the rest. He walks through a delegation system: record how-to videos, build processes, review for 2-4 weeks, then let it run. Early years are lean, but rewards come in years 2-3 if you hire carefully and fire fast when it's not working.
I think I'm at the point where I know now is the time. The actual delegation, I think is the main thing. Like no one, we've talked about it before where you said you always want to keep the balance of the stuff that you enjoy and the stuff that you're good at, but then also the stuff that takes up your time, you might still be good at it, but if it's stopping you preventing the most, the more important things, it's working. It's just some, I don't know, some things that you notice to actually find those, recognise those patterns and know where to put the time.
I think the most important thing that I've learned over time on one of these business programs that I went on was around my sweet spot of what I'm, what I'm really good at, but what I love doing as well. So I love meeting clients, winning new business still and coming up with new creative ideas around marketing. So I try and surround myself in that little circle and a bubble and anything outside of that, I try my best to outsource. So Melissa takes a lot of that as office manager. So I will delegate that as much as possible. And I get in the habit of delegating. What else can I get off my place plate so I can free myself up more on my biggest income generating tasks? And I focus on that as much as possible and there's, there's things that I know the team might not do as effectively in my eyes, as much as what I can do. But you have to really sacrifice that in order to grow because you, you have to be zoned in and focused on what you can leverage the quickest and most effective results on your day because you only get so many hours in the day as well and it can be quite overwhelming. So delegation is really key and it's all about perfecting it. So when I'm delegating something, I'll record a video of how it's, how I expect it to be done, how it's done and what challenges you could get with that. And then I'll pass it on to the team and then they'll create a step by step method for that as a process. And then I will review it over two or three, four weeks and then once I'm happy with the process and how they do it, then I forget about it. And until it breaks again and comes back, that's a perfect scenario. But in terms of hiring staff, I mean, it is quite daunting because I remember when we first started the business we hired maybe A couple of remote recruiters and they were down as like a freelancer. So they were self employed, they had their own company, et cetera. But they worked for us. And the ideal model that would have been great but in reality it never really works out that way. So when you're trying to build an asset and build an actual solid business, you need physical heads and physical stuff. But then once you're hiring them it's like well, the culture, what's your vision? Why would they join you? What's your mission? What's the principles in your business? Which is something that we've went through. We've got like 10 core principles on Model J gyms and what, what the culture and where we are actually going.
Yeah.
In the business over the next few years and we're very focused on that. But that all comes over time. So this point is planning and doing it all beforehand. Just my, my recommendation is as you go. So when you hire then figure it out. Then we hire more heads. Figure it out. Then you know you need to have a culture. Then you know you need to have your mission and values. And do you want to grow as. As a business to. To sell it one day or to pass it on to the management team or just can't always have that business? Like there's loads of different ways or a lot of people get into business for the. The most common ways people get into business is for freedom and money. So they're sick of working for another boss.
In the first two years you have neither of that.
Exactly. You just at the start, underpaid employee, member of your own business because you're just operational in it all of the time but eventually gives you more freedom as you do well. And the rewards after probably year two and three are really good. That you would never probably get in an employed job depending on what you're doing. So yeah I would recommend just not over hiring at the start. Watch the cash. Making sure you're going at the right pace. But when the right person comes along and you get a good feeling about them and then give them a go. But one thing I have learned probably the hard way is hiring too fast and firing slow.
Yeah.
Rather than hiring slow fire fast is probably one of the best tips I would give on. On stuff.
Sam.
