Why Work On Your Business
And not just in it
When I first started, I thought I was an entrepreneur simply because I was getting paid for my random gigs.
I’d spend hours creating designs, making tweaks, chasing down clients, and presenting my portfolio, but not on my graphic design business.
I was doing everything, literally trading time for money.
It felt like I was constantly running on a hamster wheel, always busy but never really going anywhere.
At that time, I was working in my business.
What Does It Mean By “Working In Your Business”
“Working in your business” means you’re the one doing all the day-to-day tasks.
You’re the designer, marketer, admin assistant, and customer service rep rolled into one.
Without you, the business stops. Sound familiar?
It’s what most freelancers experience when they’re the sole operator.
Fast forward to 2013, when I had my first baby. Suddenly, I couldn’t juggle feeding a newborn and tweaking font sizes at the same time.
That’s when it hit me: if I couldn’t show up to work, my business wouldn’t survive. It was a tough pill to swallow.
I was the bottleneck.
I knew something had to change.
That’s when I started working on my business.
What Exactly Is: “Working On Your Business”
“Working on your business” means focusing on the big picture, which are things like:
Delegating tasks
Building systems
Creating processes
Doing so allows the business to run without you. It’s about scaling and turning your work into an asset that doesn’t require you to do everything.
I started outsourcing design work, hired a virtual assistant, and spent more time learning about marketing and sales.
Instead of reacting to every client request, I worked on creating a service that could scale without burning me out.
Look, it’s not about hiring for the sake of hiring to build the biggest teams in the world and looking cool and famous.
It’s about leverage and taking yourself out from being the one to do the actual work; that’s all.
I only have 2 full-time staff and everyone else in the team is a contractor from my network of designers.
You can just have 1 team member to free yourself up. But I do recommend at least 2, in case one of them needs to be on leave.
What I’m saying is that you don’t have to wait till you are filthy rich and have the whole world work for you to find freedom and get paid while doing anything.
You just need to take the first step to have someone or automation replace you and do every work you have been doing.
The Biggest Shift
I stopped thinking of myself as a designer and started seeing myself as a business owner.
Now, most of my time is spent strategizing, creating systems, and finding ways to grow.
I still design occasionally, but only on personal projects that I randomly just want to express myself creatively.
The rest? My team handles it.
And you know what?
My business runs just fine without me constantly hovering over every detail, pixel, content, etc.
So, in short:
Working in your business keeps the lights on.
Working on your business sets you free.
If you’re stuck in the daily grind, it might be time to step back and ask yourself: What would it take for this business to thrive without me?
Sometimes, what you’re most afraid to let go of is exactly what will set you free.
That shift changed everything for me.
A hands-off business
A business that runs on clockwork
A machine that works without the founder
You can do this too.
Tired of Scope Creep?
If you’ve ever found yourself doing “just one more revision” or adding extras to a project without charging for it, you know the pain of scope creep. It’s like quicksand for your business—slowly pulling you under and stealing your time, energy, and profits.
Join my 5-Day Free Email Course: Stop Scope Creep and learn how to:
Set clear boundaries with clients.
Prevent over-delivering while keeping clients happy.
Communicate confidently when clients ask for extras.
This mini-course is packed with actionable strategies you can implement immediately to keep your projects on track and your sanity intact.
👉 Sign up here and get your time back!
The Payoff: Freedom to Grow
Making this shift wasn’t easy, but it was 100% worth it.
Today, I get to spend more time with my family, take on projects I love, and run a business that doesn’t fall apart when I take a day off.
If you’re stuck doing everything yourself, start small.
Pick one area, whether it’s building a system, documenting a process, or avoiding scope creep, and take that first step.
Before you know it, you’ll be running a business that works for you, not the other way around.
Because
Life’s too short to be stuck in the hamster wheel.
You’ve got this!
Marilyn
P.S. How advanced are you in productized service? I’d like to know what kind of articles you’d like to read and will write more of that.
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Work on your business, not for it.
it was about year 2 when project management became way TOO overwhelming - hired a PM part time that not was only great at PM roles but client comms as well.
1 employee became 5 shortly after (with 5 additional contractors, editors etc)
then 5 became just me after covid.
learned all the truly important things, slowed the eff down and solo work with contractors has never been better.