There are 5 triggers in a business where the founder and owner of a growing company begin to realize it may be time to hire a second-in-command.
The role of the second-in-command assists and support the CEO to grow and scale the business to new levels of profit, efficiency, and freedom in the business.
Every business owner needs a second-in-command. A back-up. A right-hand person.
Every CEO needs someone who:
This seasoned manager is adept at liberating the overworked and overwhelmed business owner from the day-to-day nuts and bolts of running a growing company.
When the management of day-to-day operational tasks and areas of the organization begin getting in the way of the CEO's ability to grow the company; it's time to hire a second-in-command.
Does this sound like you?
Are you still wearing the manager’s and CEO’s hats and feel like you're burning out?
You've grown the business to multiple 6 & 7 figures but revenue and profit are beginning to stall out.
You find yourself frustrated while sitting on a treasure chest of opportunities to grow and scale and there's simply no time to follow up and execute anything new.
Above all...the most productive time of your day is spent putting out fires and struggling to maintain focus.
While this may be true, as the CEO of your company your primary role is to GROW.
Although, that can seem next to impossible when you're exhausted and carrying the entire burden of growing a company on your own.
5 Common Triggers That Will Prompt the Need to Hire a Second-in-Command.
5 triggers begin to indicate the need for a second-in-command in your organization.
Only then you'll begin to have the time you need to focus on growing and scaling your company into the future and accomplish big goals.
1
Business growth requires you fully lean into the CEO role to lead the business to higher levels.
When your business reaches multiple 6 & 7 figure revenues, it begins to have a life of its own.
No doubt you've noticed!
Running your business is more challenging and complicated than ever before. Many women business owners have shared with me that "it's all become too hard."
While sales increase you hired more people to help you deliver and take care of clients.
Also, your marketing strategies expanded which requires higher levels of attention to consistency in generating new business.
If you continue wearing both manager and CEO hats, your business will begin to stagnate. You may even lose control of your vision and the reasons you started the business.
When you fully lean into the CEO role and allow a seasoned second-in-command to manage your business, you’ll regain that control, clarity and focus you need to grow.
2
Self-awareness regarding your skills and capacity helps you realize you can’t do it all anymore.
When you started your business you did it everything!
There was no one else. There was no budget to hire people to help you.
It was actually kind of fun being buried in the roots of developing your vision. The sheer passion you had during those times of creating something new kept you driving forward.
You just knew the sacrifice of working 24X7 every day including weekends and holidays would all be worth it.
Then...
The business grew. The time you once had to spend hours on growing the business began shrinking.
And big time. There are only so many hours in a day.
Subsequently, the business is now calling you to a higher calling to keep it moving forward and growing.
It's calling you to lean into the CEO role to lead it into the future.
For most business owners that means they must let go of tasks and areas of the business that must be delegated to someone else.
Tasks and activities that are now below your pay-grade.
Areas such as day-to-day operations, project management, marketing and your team must be delegated to a trusted second-in-command.
A skilled and experienced second-in-command will liberate you from areas of the business that will continue to pull you down if you insist on doing everything yourself.
You don’t have to carry the entire burden of running a successful business.
Wearing just the CEO hat will give you time and energy back to do what you enjoy and are born to do – lead the business rather than manage it.
You probably don’t enjoy managing the business, but it’s also hard to let go of that control.
A skilled and seasoned second-in-command will help you lean into the CEO role and give you needed space to work ON the business, rather than IN it.
3
Frustration overwhelm you, and you struggle with "hitting the ceiling" and “feeling stuck”.
Most business owners become frustrated and overwhelmed while buried in the daily grind and challenges of running and growing a business
The initial thrill and passion that once drove you to spend insane hours and make sacrifices to see your vision grow begin to fade in the daylight of running a growing company.
As indicated in previous triggers, time is becoming a really big deal as the business grows in clients, technology, and people involved in making things happen.
This is especially true for visionary entrepreneurs. Visionaries are typically not wired to remain in the quicksand of daily routines for long without burning out.
The daily grind is not where their "best selves" should remain.
Visionary business owners are the most successful when they can focus and drive the company forward through the brilliance they bring to the company's vision.
Most business owners experience feelings of "being stuck" and "hitting the ceiling" in growth in this phase. Taking a close look many will find they are spending more time doing the manager’s tasks than doing CEO tasks.
A skilled and trusted second-in-command frees you up to focus only on the high-level tasks you enjoy to help the business move forward.
4
Life events such as kids, loss, marriage, health, etc. change the time and energy you have to invest in the business.
Life happens, no matter what’s going on in the business.
You want to be present for your life outside of the business. But, when you're doing everything in the company your time and life/work balance is impacted significantly.
Partnering with a second-in-command gives you the time and freedom to enjoy and take care of your life while growing and scaling a successful business.
Many times women business owners have shared with me that the decision to hire a second-in-command was crucial to the business's ability to survive.
They fear what would happen to their income, their clients and their team if life threw them a curve and they were no longer available to business as they are now.
5
Loss of energy leaves you no longer wanting or willing to continue working at the same exhausting pace.
This trigger is closely tied to trigger #4.
With a second-in-command focused on the role of managing back-end operations, projects, marketing, and team you’ll gain a balance between work and personal life.
You’ll find a new love and passion for your business. You won’t be exhausted from doing and being responsible for everything getting done.
You’ll have the time to create plans, strategies, products, and services to take your business to the next level.
A second-in-command is an integrator and will drive your company goals to reality.
Your second-in-command will:
Hiring an second-in-command is a big decision, certainly – but the alternative is more of the same – frustration, feeling stuck, and hitting the ceiling.
Have you read, "Is It Time to Hire a Virtual COO" yet? Click here to read full article.
Are You Ready to Hire a Second-in-Command?
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