Can your business survive without you? Questions to ask yourself

When you’re a runner, injury is inevitable. I’ve had my share of injuries over the years, but until now, all quickly healed with a little rest and rehab.

This one, though, has been very different than anything else I’ve had to deal with. It began when I twisted my ankle on a trip to Florida, a mild sprain that would heal with rest and ice. I tried to be smart and worked with a physical therapist to get me back into shape.

But as my ankle healed, I began to have pain in my opposite knee. I assumed it was just overuse as it compensated for my bad ankle. The pain was manageable and I still had lots of flexibility.

While I wanted to be smart, here’s where I got a little dumb. I was supposed to ease back into running. To run for a few minutes at a time at slow paces and gradually build back. Well, that only lasted for a day. Then, I rushed back to my previous pace or distance and re-injured myself.

I’d like to say I only did this once, but that would be a lie. I ran a few more times and each one set me back even further. Finally, an MRI showed that I tore my meniscus. My doctor felt that everything I should have been doing regarding rest and rehabilitation gave me better chances than surgery. I was on the right path, as long as I didn’t run.

Now I find myself in unfamiliar territory, unable to do something I’ve loved my entire life. And when you’re in the dark moments of injury, your mind sometimes drifts into negativity. What if I can never run again?

One question

It reminded me of decades ago when I began to take over our business from my dad. Like many small family businesses, money was always tight. I was responsible for everything. I did all the training, hiring, sales work, accounting, payroll. You name it and I did it. And we began to grow.

Then one day, my wife asked me a simple question: “What would happen if you couldn’t work?”

Such a simple question, but it hit me like a ton of bricks. We all know bad things could happen, but most times, we don’t think about it. But now I did: What if I became disabled or worse? What would happen to the business? To my family?

I knew without me, the business would fail. And quickly. It would affect both my family and the families of everyone who worked for us.

This is a question that every small business needs to ask itself. Can my business survive without me?

So I knew there was a problem. Now the challenge came in how to fix it.

In a perfect world, I would be able to hire multiple managers who’d be able to take over everything that I do. But there was no way we could afford that in one big step. Just like my rehab process, I couldn’t push and needed to break things down in smaller steps.

Necessary Delegation

First, I needed someone if I wasn’t available, someone who could keep everything running smoothly and our current customers happy. This was the first job opening I ever posted online — and one of the first applicants was the perfect fit.

He’d just graduated from college and had a background in computers and sales. It was hard for me to delegate and watch others handle things. But, when it is with the right person, you figure out how to make it work.

A couple of years later, we were ready to add someone to help with sales. We tried a few salespeople from other industries, but none of them worked out because they didn’t know pest control. But one of our top technicians was also a Pastor at his church. Talk about the perfect combination: he knew all the technical info and had the personality to deal with any customer. He hit the ground running and never looked back.

It took time, but we got there in slow, small steps. I still remember the first time I was able to take a vacation – and actually enjoy the vacation – knowing that everything was running smoothly.

I couldn’t do it alone. Admitting that made my company stronger. Just like my rehab now. I may not be able to hit the road just yet, but soon I will be back even stronger. One small step at a time.

Have a Great Run!