subject: Which are you? A Business Owner or a Service Provider? [print this page] Which are you? A Business Owner or a Service Provider?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself this question? Because, let me tell you, there is a big difference between providing a service in exchange for payment and actually being a true business owner.
Many of the therapists, healers, consultants and other service providers I speak with every day claim to be business owners. And to be perfectly fair, they technically are. They own a business. But when it comes down to it, they don't behave or think like business owners.
They behave and think like service providers, because that's what they do. They provide a service, one that is extraordinarily valuable to their clients. So their outlook and perhaps you feel this way as well is to focus on this service. To be the best at what they do.
While being passionate about the service you provide is quite admirable, I have to break something to you. And you might not like it. But if you're just a service provider without being a business owner then you need to go and get yourself a nice j-o-b!
There are lots of moving parts in your business that really have not a lot to do with your service. Accounting. Sales. Legal. Marketing. You have to think about all of these things. If you don't have the skills, you have to learn them. If you don't want to learn them, you have to hire someone to take care of these things for you. Otherwise, you'll be sitting there with this service you wish to provide but with no business to speak of at all.
As I'm fond of reminding people, "No one else on earth has your precise approach, your specific philosophy, and your personal life experiences. It would be a shame to not be able to share your gifts with people who can benefit most."
But if you're not behaving and thinking like a business owner, you're not getting the necessary knowledge and guidance when it comes to marketing your business. Very few people will know that you have a service to provide.
Unless you want to go give up on your dream of creating a business and a life that you love, and get a j-o-b, I'd suggest you find someone to teach you how to grow your business in a way that feels right to you.
Remember, marketing doesn't have to be icky and sleazy. It can be authentic. Let me teach you how.
