The flu means fever, headaches, body aches, sore throat, upset stomach, bloating… (I won't go into all the details, you get it).
Usually the having the flu means it is very difficult to work, often for several days. And even when you can finally think straight, it often means another few days at home to avoid passing it on to coworkers or clients.
Even Clowns Can See Better Days
What happens to the work you normally do when you are sick?
What is the impact on your business if you can't work?
My Case
In my case, there was some important work that had to get done even though I was sick. Fortunately my bout of the flu was not too severe and I could work from home.
But that is not the point.
What if I was too sick to work for a week? For two weeks? Heaven forbid, even longer?
What would the impact be on the business short and longer-term?
This is the acid test for an entrepreneur.
What Is An Entrepreneur?
I define an entrepreneur as someone whose focus is building a business. Not building a product. Not providing a service. Not serving customers. All those things are part of the business but not your primary role.
Building a business.
One that eventually runs with or without you.
Whether you want to show up in it is irrelevant.
You are not really a successful entrepreneur until it "could" run successfully without you.
Tough definition? You bet.
But we need to be tough about this if you want to build your dream business. Your dream has to happen even if you can't show up for a while. You need to be able to take breaks without "working while on vacation".
Working on the Business
You need to work on your business.
You need to define and document all of the key processes and systems. How do you consistently deliver excellent value to happy customers?
You need to train all of your staff to do this without you there.
For more complex processes and systems you need to define the rules so others can make decisions that serve your best customers and your business. You need to train and mentor them to do so consistently to the standards you have.
Excellence. Built into the very fabric of your business and company culture.
Don't know where to start, use a tool and services like Manifast.
Conclusion
Having the flu unexpectedly is a perfect test.
You don't actually have to get sick to run this test. Just ask the question:
"What if I unexpectedly could not do any work today? All week? All month?"
Now go fix those things that would hurt your business.
