Death to The Integrator: The Role that could Kill Your Business
Episode 572: Show Notes
In this week’s episode, we take a look at the role of the integrator in online businesses. We discuss how the role has come about, what exactly it entails, and how hiring the wrong integrator places your business in jeopardy. While the role has gained significant traction in the last few years as a necessary step for any expanding online business, there are also some serious pitfalls that need to be considered!
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When considering whether or not you should hire an integrator, it’s important to ask yourself two key questions: First, identify what you are hoping to gain from your new hire. Do you perhaps feel like it will free up your time? Second, ask yourself whether there are other, more effective ways to get those benefits. Perhaps you could free up your time by delegating more work and automating systems that you are doing from scratch unnecessarily? Instead of hiring an integrator, this could be an opportunity to optimize your operations and give your staff the opportunity to take a more active role in your business! If you've been considering getting an integrator and are looking to maximize your time while also scaling your business, then this episode is for you!
Why thinking you need to hire an integrator to grow is holding you back
The role of integrator has become increasingly popular for online businesses, but is it actually necessary, and could it even damage your business? It’s been pitched as a way for you, the entrepreneur, to be a visionary thought leader, while they, the integrator, manage the people who operate your business. It’s a way for you to delegate your vision to one key player who deals with the ins and outs of managing a team. While it may seem appealing to only deal with one person and free up your time, having only one filter can give you a very limited view of how your business is actually running. And if you have the wrong person as your integrator, it could do serious harm, or even destroy your business!
Should you hire an integrator and why do you want to?
If you’re considering hiring an integrator because you don’t want to talk to more than one person, then there’s a good chance you don’t have the right people in the right roles. When you trust your team then there’s nothing you want more than to interface with them and get their opinion! It’s also important to dispel the myth that people are born good managers. In our business, we’ve had to make mistakes in order to grow and find the system that works for us. We are also unique in that we share the executive role as equal partners, which means we always have a partner to confer with on our ideas and doubts. Often people are drawn to hiring an integrator because they are alone as an executive and want someone to bounce ideas off of.
It’s important to take stock of the reasons you want to hire an integrator and make a decision from there. The risk with hiring an integrator can lie in the fact that they’re not invested in the company the same way that you are. There’s immense value in having a person validate whether you should pursue an idea or not, and to help you make it happen, however, it’s important to hire the right person who's going to think critically and not just say yes to all of your ideas. Also, bear in mind that you get to decide what type of work culture you want to foster. If you want to build an environment that's flexible, fluid, prioritizes family, and protects non-work time, you can do that. It’s in your power to decide if and when you want to clock in and clock out.
The #1 thing service-based business owners can do to get their time back
The number one way to get your business running effectively and smoothly is by implementing cohesive systems. Unfortunately setting up a system, and implementing it, can sometimes be intimidating and quite tricky! It’s also difficult to carve out the time and attention that setting up and getting momentum for a system can take, especially when a business is starting out. This can be especially challenging when there are boundaries with client communication, or you’re constantly putting out fires. One of the things that has really helped our business in recent months is getting perspective and asking ourselves what caused the fire, and how can we automate a system or workflow so that it doesn’t happen again?
The area in your business that has the highest ROI for your time
As the head of your business, it’s not always easy delegating. This means you often spend precious time on tasks that could be handled by one of your employees. This is where operations come into play! Your operations liaison is your key ally in building a better system. While it may feel like you’re taking three steps back, this is a valuable opportunity to maximize your time. You’ll be able to document where all of the fires are originating from and instruct someone to implement the necessary changes. By prioritizing these issues you’ll have more time and be able to accomplish much more with the time you put into your business!
Automation is another excellent tool for maximizing your time, but people often assume that it needs to be complicated. Even in our business, we were able to make changes that elevated our operations to a whole new level. There were so many things that we were doing 100% from scratch that could have been 90% automated using templates and readily available software like Dubsado. And we can say from experience that the decision fatigue that is alleviated when you're using the same root foundation every time is astronomical! By implementing these systems you’ll be able to spend time on the areas of your business that will benefit the most from your attention. If you treat your business like a scalable digital business, by automating and setting up the necessary processes and charging enough for your time, then there’s no reason it can’t be a lean, mean, kick-ass service-producing machine!
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The decision fatigue that is alleviated when you're using the same root foundation every time is astronomical.
Highlights
Why thinking you need to hire an integrator to grow is holding you back [0:03:16]
Should you hire an integrator and why do you want to? [07:31]
The #1 thing service-based business owners can do to get their time back [20:15]
The area in your business that has the highest ROI for your time [22:38]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
