Have you ever felt this way?
It`s bedtime and you are so tired that you can barely walk…
To be quite honest, you are so exhausted that you can barely talk.
If a radio show host called you and asked you the dead simple one million dollar question…
“What is your full name?”
You would start mumbling something that would sound like a newly discovered language in The Lord Of The Rings.
But that is NOT the WORST part…
When you are about to brush your teeth, you avoid looking in the mirror.
Why?
Because you are too embarrassed…
and you feel like a total failure…
Why?
Because other bloggers, entrepreneurs and small business owners are crushing it, but you can`t seem to crack the code.
You feel like you are running on a treadmill that won`t stop. No matter how fast you run, you seem to not move an inch.
If you can relate, it`s totally okay.
I`ve been there too.
Let me show you the 5 simple hockey lessons that will save time in your business (and increase profits)
1. You don`t need to do it alone
Running a business is like playing a hockey match, you play together with your team mates and make each other good on the ice.
Have you ever seen a hockey match where there is ONLY 1 player on one team and the other team has 6 players (including the goalkeeper)?
No, you probably haven’t.
Why?
Because that would be crazy, right?
And unfair.
That would be like putting one player to cover all the positions on the ice; the goalkeeper, two defensemen, the right wing, the center and the left wing.
You want to hear something funny?
That is probably EXACTLY HOW you are running YOUR business.
You might even have started to recruit a few other players on your team, but most likely you don`t have a full team yet.
You might say: “Yeah, I get it, Tor, but it`s only me. I don`t have a team.”
That is completely okay.
Before you can put together a team, it`s a good idea to first…
2. Identify your position
“It’s all about finding and hiring people smarter than you.” – Richard Branson
The big challenges for entrepreneurs are that they are often wearing too many hats, and they want to do everything themselves.
They are also often control freaks…
Yeah, this applies to me as well.
So before you can start to hire help, you should first identify your strongest skills.
Depending on your most awesome skills, you can then hire people in the other areas.
Here is an example of the lineup for your business in a true hockey spirit:
Goalkeeper
The specific problem that your product / service solves for a specific group of people (and that they are willing to pay for).
Defensemen
Technical person
Support
Right Wing
Design
Center
Create content
Left Wing
Marketing / sales
This reason why successful people become even more successful, is that the more successful they become, the more money they are able to invest in GREAT team mates.
That is also why the richest sports clubs have the financial power to buy the best (and most expensive) players.
So the more money you have, the more qualified help will you be able to buy.
Have you identified your position(s)?
Great, then it`s time to…
3. Pick your team
In the start it would be a good way to start with temporarily help on a need-to-get-done basis.
For your own sake, please do not hire full-time employers before you have the financial results to justify such an investment.
It`s a good move to visit the following websites for assistance for a cheap price:
Upwork.com (formerly know as Odesk)
Remember that any service can be hired.
You just need to focus on doing the activities where you are the BEST and where you will bring in the most money / value for your business.
The clue is to let every player on your team play in the position that they are best suited for.
That will make sure that you have a good team and that your business will get the biggest return on investment (ROI) per team member.
Okay, we got the team part covered, right?
Great.
Let`s take a quick look at how to…
4. Manage your team
Once you have a team, it`s important that you have a platform to communicate with your team.
This can save you a HUGE amount of hours.
What`s the point with a team, if you can`t communicate with each other in an efficient way?
Here are some suggestions for tools / systems to better collaborate with your team and manage your staff:
Jira – a more advanced task management and collaboration tool
Trello – plan and cooperate through kanban boards
Basecamp – great for collaborating with your team
Evernote – great for taking notes
Dropbox – storage and share big files
Ciphr – let`s you manage via HR Software
Then over to an strategic activity that TRULY can save you a lot of time…
5. Get a coach
The reason why the best sports people have a great coach is to SAVE TIME, so they can focus on what they are best at.
That is why their team consists of a nutritionist, physician, fitness coach, mental coach, coach in their respected field, financial advisor, marketing advisor, lawyers, etc.
Why?
Because top athletes get big results and big money…
and they ARE their own business.
That is why you should spend you time to focus on which areas you need coaching in, so you can take your business to the next level.
When it comes to blogging, here are my blogging mentors:
Yaro Starak – Entrepreneurs Journey
Jon Morrow – Boost Blog Traffic
Sue Anne Dunlevie – Successful Blogging
By the way, I am now starting to officially offer time management coaching.
If want to learn how to work smarter, not harder, so you can take your business to the next level, check it out.
I only take on a few clients, so first come, first served.
Now you have some good tips on how to be able to manage and leverage your time.
Go out there, and start creating more time and profits in your business.
Here`s What To Do Next…
Do you outsource or hire external help? What type of services do you buy?
If you have any good suggestions on where to hire help for a nice price, let me know and I will update the list.
I help online entrepreneurs NETWORK with influencers and position their BRAND so they can attract the right CLIENTS fast. Award-winning blogger.
Hi, Tor,
It’s an honor to be placed in a list of coaches with Jon and Yaro! Thanks so much.
I LOVE this article – I have recently built a professional hockey team and am skating less furiously with your time management guidance. I HIGHLY recommend your coaching programs!
Sue
Hi Sue,
thanks for stopping by to comment and for your kind words 🙂
Realising that you CAN`T do everything by yourself as an entrepreneur and there is NO defeat to ask for help, are the first steps to build your hockey team!
I have been following your progress, Sue.
And you are doing VERY WELL managing your hockey team 😉
Keep up the good work.
Have a great day!
Tor
Hi Tor
Coming to your blog after a long time. How are you doing, buddy?
I really love the way you have connected the game of hockey with the business model. You made me remember my school days where I used to be a part of the hockey team.
Hockey is a fast game where the ball goes from one one opponent to another in a flash. In a similar manner, we must utilize the importance of time management in our business. Otherwise, our opponents will take the ball of success from our court.
The position point is awesome. You have designated the spots in a wonderful way. Thanks for sharing various tools and blog resources for saving time in forming a business.
Hi Yatin, great to see you here, man.
I`m fine thanks.
Have just become a dad for the first time, so there is a lot of extra chores to be done 😉
How are you doing? 🙂
Yes, in order to succeed and play serious with the real big boys and girls, we have to identify which roles in your business that needs to be filled, play the position you are the best at, and outsource the rest.
Have a great day.
Best,
Tor
Hey Tor,
I like the hockey analogy! Are you big on hockey? I guess in the UK at least it’s so overshadowed by Football (soccer for the U.S. Folks) it doesn’t surface until the Olympic Games.
It’s good to get the right resources in to help on a project. I know I can’t do everything but I can certainly manage the team!
I’ve had success hiring folks on Fiverr and Elance. Just need to know what you’re looking for!
Thanks Tor!
– David
Hi David,
thanks for stopping by to comment.
It`s really cool to watch NHL, but I don`t watch it that much. I got a Colorado Avalanche jersey, though, that I got from a relative in Colorado.
I was initially thinking about using soccer as analogy, since I know that sport very well.
However, I thought the analogy of hockey would better fit our friends from the U.S 😉
Thanks for sharing your experience with Fiverr and Elance, David.
Have a great day!
Tor
Hi, Tor,
Hope you’re having a great start to your week, I sure am.
Enjoyed your post and really liked the Hockey analogy. The question you ask about whether or not we’ve identified our positions is excellent! Gotta get those wheels turning.
I am a big proponent of outsourcing, and have had a team for several years, one full-time VA and two part time team members. If I am to propel my business forward, I must be a visionary and executor of my business plan.
This is the only way in which to ensure a sustainable and scalable business.
You’ve got some wonderful mentors, and you’re growing by leaps and bounds – which is a pleasure to see.
Thanks again for participating in my Roundup Post – I had a blast.
Sharing this out with friends…
Carol Amato
Hi Carol,
thanks a lot for your kind words.
I had a great time contributing to your great roundup post.
I really appreciate you sharing from your experience. I didn`t know that you had a full-time VA and two part time team members. That is indeed the only true way of leveraging our time as entrepreneurs.
One of the worst procrastinating situations we put ourself in, is if we self-inflict ourselves by the “I want to do everything by myself, because I`m so awesome and I trust nobody else”-curse.
Yes, I`ve been there too…
As you so nicely put it, Carol, outsourcing / hiring help is the only way in which to ensure a sustainable and scalable business.
Thanks for your great comment and for sharing.
My week has started great, by the way.
Glad yours have too.
Best,
Tor
Hello.
Just saw your email now regards this post and decided to stop over to read it and as always, its really amazing.
I agree with all the points especially the idea of getting a coach and not doing it all alone. Indeed, if you really want to achieve a faster and better result from your projects then, you need to look for a team. Doing it all alone will only take you more time and efforts to get there and in most cases, you might get overwhelmed along the line and give up.
Also, getting a coach to direct your paths is really very essential and shouldn’t be given a second thought at all.
Thanks for sharing Tor.
Theodore
Hi Theodore,
thanks a lot for stopping by to comment.
Yes, getting the right type of coach can definitely skyrocket your progress.
There is a reason why all the top athletes have one or several coaches 😉
Have a great weekend!
Best,
Tor
Hey Tor,
I like the hockey analogy! Are you big on hockey? I guess in the UK at least it’s so overshadowed by Football (soccer for the U.S. Folks) it doesn’t surface until the Olympic Games.
It’s good to get the right resources in to help on a project. I know I can’t do everything but I can certainly manage the team!
I’ve had success hiring folks on Fiverr and Elance. Just need to know what you’re looking for!
Hi Sneha,
I think NHL is awesome, but in Norway soccer is a bigger sport (same as in UK).
Thanks for sharing your experience.
Knowing what to look for is definitely a big advantage when you are looking to hire help.
Cheers,
Tor
Hello Tor,
Thanks for this post. Love the hockey analogy. I live here in Colorado so the Avalanche are a big part of our sport scene.
I am starting a blog about cycling. Living in Boulder, I am surrounded by an incredible bike riding community. The entrepreneur community is just as active. While that support is great, nothing replaces having people on your team. I’m just starting out, so the need for a full roster is not necessary yet.
What has changed my business is having a coach. I’ve gone through my career with education and a few people I would call mentors. This is the first time that I have asked for the help of a coach and I am already seeing results.
Sue Anne Dunlevie at Successful Blogging has also been a great team mate to keep me not only motivated, but focused on what is really important to help me achieve my goals.
I was spinning my wheels and learning lots, but never anything that was actionable to help my blog. Now I feel confident to move forward and attack the work I am meant to do, helping other people with their cycling and fitness.
Can’t wait for the next day in your process. It has been fascinating and eyeopening so far. I now have a much bigger view into what is possible for my business.
Thank you.
GeraldRhodes
Hey Gerald,
thanks a lot for your great comment and sharing your story.
Yup, Sue Anne is great.
Have an awesome day!
Best,
Tor
Those are five awesome lessons for sure Tor!
And I still refer to an older blogging course of Yaro’s, because so much
of what he teaches, is still incredibly relevant.
And I am definitely a big fan of Sue Anne’s as well.Although to date,
I haven’t actually followed and applied as much of Jon’s proven advice,
as I definitely should.
I really like the way you’ve tied the various aspects of a successful hockey team,
to running a successful business.Great job!
Thanks a lot for your great comment, Mark.
I really appreciate you sharing your thoughts 🙂
Have a super day!
Tor
Hey Tor,
Great post, man.
I really like the hockey analogy.
Hockey’s big where I’m from (Canada). Really big.
And thinking of it in a time management way is like… Wow. I get it.
😀
Anyway, I enjoyed the post, Tor. Thanks.
Julian
(shared!)
Thanks a lot, Julian.
Hockey rocks, right? 😉
Have a super day!
Tor
Hey Tor,
Relating hockey and business together is truly a wonderful idea. You know it’s the national sport of my country but I never thought of it in this way.
Plus, thank you for letting me know about those team management tools, I got some new names here.
Best Regards,
Karan
Congrats on the new addition! I bet you never dreamed of all the ways that little bundle would change your life. I know you put relationships at the top of your priority list. Good for you. I am a newbie, just learning about this wide wonderful world of writing. Hopefully I will be able to avoid some of the pitfalls of the biz by applying what you teach in your emails. I’m glad I found you early on. Thanks. Keep up the good work!
Hey Jody,
thanks for your kind words. I appreciate it big time 🙂
Have an awesome day!
Tor
Superb post Tor. Super informative and excellent links.
Building relationships is such a vital component of all aspects of life.
It’s not what you know…and it’s not who you know. It’s what you do with what and who you know that counts.
Angelo
Thanks a lot for your kind words, Angelo.
I really appreciate it, man 🙂
It totally agree with what you are saying. It can be related to what Napoleon Hill said: “Knowledge is not power. Application of knowledge is power.”
Knowledge can also be translated to resources or opportunities.
Regardless of what you have…
…if you don´t use it to apply massive action and create the life and future you deserve…
it´s totally wasted.
Keep rocking!
Tor
HY!
Very nice article……thanks for sharing you experience….this helped alot….keep it up…