Financial Advisors: How Much Extra Time Have You Got?

We all have the same 24 hours in each day but how we USE those 24 hours will determine our level of success.  Have you ever analyzed what tasks you accomplish during the day, especially on those days when you wonder where the day went and wished you had an extra eight hours to finish your to-do list?  Knowing where you spend your time is part of the equation for success.

Are You a Do-It-Yourselfer?

When you start a business, it makes sense that you want to watch your budget and not hire outside help.  After all, you need to make money before you spend money, right? Do-it-yourself business owners take on every task that involves sales, marketing, billing, and operations, plus everything that doesn’t fall into those categories.  But if you’re working on closing a sale, it stands to reason that you don’t have the time to develop a strong marketing campaign or create content for your website or social media channels.  Do-it-yourselfers are stretched too thin and become experts at nothing.  Very often, these business owners feel behind, like they’re always playing catch up with what their clients need and trying to salvage those relationships instead of forging the way toward bringing in new business.

Are You an Advisor-CEO?

Advisor-CEOs know they can’t do everything themselves.  They see the grand plan for their business’s future and know what their own strengths and weaknesses are.  These leaders hire expert advisers, coaches, and assistants to handle the myriad tasks involved in the backend of their business so they can dedicate their time to finding new clients and building those relationships. Meanwhile, their team members handle their own areas of expertise.

Can You Go from Do-It-Yourselfer to Advisor-CEO?

Of course!  Don’t be intimidated by others who tell you something is impossible.  To change your mindset, find a life coach who specializes in working within the financial services industry – someone like me, who can help you work through the reasons why you need to do everything yourself and identify your fears about hiring help.

Find a business coach or consultant (or a person who is both, like I am) who can analyze your backend operations and offer advice for automating certain tasks or suggestions regarding whom to hire next.  Consider a social media manager to keep your accounts current with posts and engage your audience.  Hire a virtual assistant or paraplanner to manage your email and your calendar while you’re handling sales and marketing.  Think of how many extra hours you’d have in one day if only you had a team working with you, doing what they were passionate about as you spent your time attracting and retaining clients.  You would see faster business growth.  But I know firsthand that clearing that first hiring hurdle can be more than tough.

Related: 5 Ways Vision Boards Can Turbocharge Your Goals in 2022