The green doesn't lie. You know why.
You used to play every other Saturday. Now it's three rounds a year, and you're six strokes worse.
You didn't forget how to swing. The business took your Saturdays.
Quick check: are you the operator?
- Have you missed more Saturdays than you've played this year?
- Does your phone come with you to the course?
- Do the big decisions still wait for you?
- Would the business struggle if you left for 30 days?
- Do you feel like you own a job, not a business?
Two or more yeses? You're the engine. Keep reading.
Your calendar is telling you something
Most owners I talk with built their company to run their own life. Your own schedule. Nobody to answer to. Time for the things you love.
Then, little by little, the business started taking the time back. First the evenings. Then the weekends. Then the tee times. Nobody decided that. It just happened, one "I'll handle it" at a time.
When your golf game falls apart, it's rarely about golf. It's a picture of a business that can't run without you in it.
Operator or owner?
Here's the simplest test I know. If you disappeared for 30 days, what would happen?
If the honest answer is "it would fall apart," you're the operator. The operator is the engine. Everything runs on his hours, and those hours have to come from somewhere. Saturday goes first.
The owner has a business that keeps running while he's on the course.
I know both sides. I spent 27 years owning and running a SERVPRO franchise. For a long stretch, I was the engine. The turning point came when I stopped being the answer to every question and started building people and systems that could answer them. The business ran at a steady $1.2 to $1.3 million a year, and eventually I sold it.
Three moves to get a Saturday back
- Write down every decision you made this week. Circle the ones someone else could make.
- Pick one and hand it off with clear rules, not just the task.
- Put one tee time on the calendar for next month. Treat it like a client meeting. Then notice what breaks while you're gone. That's your list.
Questions owners ask
Is this really about golf?
No. Golf is just where you notice it first. Swap in fishing, your kid's games or date night.
Do I need to hire more people to fix this?
Usually not first. Most owners have to hand off decisions before they need more headcount.
How long does it take to get time back?
It depends on the business. Small handoffs done every week add up faster than most owners expect.
One question to sit with
If an extra $100K a year in profit was leaking out of your business, and you could plug it, what would you do with your Saturdays?
If you want to talk that through, let's walk your business together. Thirty minutes, you and me.
Not ready to talk yet? Get the 5 places $100K hides in a service business, with a 2-minute check for each one.
Pete Ambrosino, Ambrosino Strategic Advisors. Advisor to owners of restoration and service businesses. 27 years owning and running a SERVPRO franchise. Advising business owners since 2015.
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