Comments on: How to simplify your business – with free audio

By: Team Truant : Johnny B. Truant

Team Truant : Johnny B. Truant — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:13:16 +0000

[...] an assistant is aces. I won’t explain exactly why because I’ve already done so here and here, but suffice to say that the minute I stopped having to think about the things I suck at [...]

By: I’m sleeping with my assistant : Johnny B. Truant

I’m sleeping with my assistant : Johnny B. Truant — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:11:17 +0000

[...] let’s take the latest open question. You may be wondering whatever happened with my assistant situation. Like, maybe you’re at the point in your business where you really should have an assistant [...]

By: Johnny

Johnny — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:47:21 +0000

Yeah, I know nothing about being a manager. Like, at all. But I do think it’s hard to get an assistant to think/act like an owner, because… they’re not. Hell, who knows. I’m getting there, but still overwhelmed.

By: Ben MacLeay

Ben MacLeay — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:09:11 +0000

Johnny,

really fantastic stuff, thanks for posting. I have always wanted to move from the guy swinging the hammer to the CEO in the corner office but there is this horrible middle ground called manager. I have two brick and mortar’s and hired a secretary (not virtual, she’s real you just keep missing her I swear) and for me the difficulty is I wanted somebody to act like an owner. Inspecting what you expect has been a long and painful journey to get me closer to the corner office.

If you could touch on how to become a great manager, when in fact you never wanted to be a manager and as soon as you can you will hire a manager, that would be awesome.

Again, thank you, really solid content and good job of not swearing in front of your mom.

By: Johnny

Johnny — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 19:06:07 +0000

Of course, the caveat in all of this is that this only really helps you if you have a higher-paying activity to put in place of the lower-paying one that you otherwise couldn’t do. So, the surgeon only improves his lot by $6990 IF he’s booked up enough that the lawnmowing is actually keeping him from surgery. If he pays a kid to cut the lawn and then sits on the couch, he’s not improving financially at all. And then the question is whether the stress reduction or whatever is worth it anyway.

That’s the reason I started this site as “Learn To Be Your Own V.A.” — because if fledgling solopreneurs simply don’t have enough work and marketing activity to keep them busy, they might as well do their own mailings.

The problem is when you start to get busy and neglect good stuff for crap work because the crap work is demanding your attention.

Of course, if your $10/hour activity risks injuring you, that’s another story. I shall be wary next time I buy those damn stamps, should I decide to take the risk.

By: William @ DIY Video Marketing

William @ DIY Video Marketing — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:24:41 +0000

Good audio, Johnny.

A story with a lawnmower: I was explaining this very concept (actually “comparative advantage,” roughly the same) to some students– I said a surgeon shouldn’t mow his lawn because someone else can mow his lawn for $10/hour while he can fix aortas for $7000/hour or whatever the going rate for fixed aortas is these days. Makes no sense not to hire 700 sullen teens to landscape his 50 acres.

One of my brightest students chimed in that her neighbor was a surgeon. And he screwed up his back mowing his lawn. Couldn’t perform surgery for a month!

Moral: plant clover, not turf grass. And do the high-ticket stuff first, like creating products, assets, and marketing. Someone else can take out the trash.

By: Johnny

Johnny — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:13:57 +0000

Dave, I used one of your tutorials the other day. On how to make custom templates in Thesis. It was weird; I just Googled and you came up. How cool is that? Anyway, good stuff… thanks!

By: Dave Doolin

Dave Doolin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:17:15 +0000

I mean NOT worry about it. Sheesh.

By: Dave Doolin

Dave Doolin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 21:15:55 +0000

Dealing with Lesser Mortal Shi^H^Htuff is a pain.

My current strategy is to just worry about it. Sure, the laundry piles up. And the dishes. And the bills. No big deal. First year is the worst year.

I’ll start outsourcing once I have the (positive) cash flow.