Working On vs. Working In

Have you ever eaten at Chick-fil-A? Ever noticed the operator serving at the drive-thru, wiping down tables, or gathering extra sauces? The operator isn’t just working on the business but also working in it—showing humility and servant leadership.

As a solopreneur, knowing when to focus on the day-to-day operations (working in) versus the strategic growth of your business (working on) is crucial. The balance between these two can help you scale effectively, but it’s easy to get stuck in one area and neglect the other. For solopreneurs, you’ll need to work both in and on your business and understanding when to shift focus is key to growth. Timing is everything and knowing when to step back from daily tasks to focus on your business’s bigger picture is needed. In the early stages of your business, most of your time will be spent working in the business—fulfilling orders, serving customers, selling products, etc. It’s about building a solid foundation and serving the customers you have right in front of you. Don’t neglect the business you already have. Word of mouth will do a lot of the marketing for you, and keeping your current customers happy is your most valuable tool for organic growth.

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work on your business—just that you’ll do it during the time you have outside of serving clients. Whether it’s after hours or on weekends, this is when you can focus on vision, marketing, and goals. Some ways to manage your time between working in and on the business:

Track Your Time: Start by realizing how you spend your time. Are you spending too much of it on customer service or fulfillment? Is your business growth taking a backseat? Tracking gives you a clear picture of where your energy is going and helps you make adjustments accordingly.

Set Clear Goals: Be clear about where you want your business to go. Do you need more customers? Do you need to build more systems to streamline your work? Setting specific goals for both daily operations and long-term growth will help you balance both sides effectively.

Evaluate Your Capacity: Look at your current workload and resources. If you’re at capacity, it may be time to outsource, automate, hire help, or simply slow down. This allows you to step back from the operational side and focus more on growth activities. Once you’re ready to scale, delegate tasks that don’t require your direct involvement. Example being to outsource customer support, automate social media posts, or bring on contractors to help with repetitive tasks. This will free up your time and may still put some money in your pocket.

Recognize when your business needs you in different roles. Early on, focus on getting your product or service right and ensuring your customers are satisfied. As you grow, spend more time building the systems that will support scaling—whether that's hiring, marketing, or refining processes. Don’t let the daily grind consume all of your time. The goal is to transition from working in the business to working on it when the business is ready. Then you’ll create the opportunity for both to be done on your time.