Working ON vs. IN Your Business: Why It Matters - With Jennifer Ann Johnson

Feeling stuck on the entrepreneurial hamster wheel? In this episode, I break down the critical difference between working in your business versus on it—and why this mindset shift is key to breaking through your growth ceiling.

Like many passionate business owners, I know what it’s like to wear all the hats—handling every task from client calls to coffee runs. But that level of hands-on hustle eventually becomes a bottleneck. If your business depends entirely on your time and energy, it can only grow so far.

Drawing inspiration from The E-Myth Revisited, I share five practical strategies to help you step fully into your role as the visionary leader your business needs. We’ll talk about how to carve out sacred “founder’s time,” build systems that run without you, delegate with confidence, and set strategic KPIs that actually move the needle.

I also share a real-life example of a graphic designer who tripled her agency’s revenue while cutting her work hours in half—just by shifting how she worked. It’s proof that with the right mindset and tools, you can lead with clarity, scale with confidence, and actually enjoy the freedom you set out to create.

Visit us at jenniferannjohnson.com and learn how Jennifer can help you build the life you dream of with her online academy, blog, one-on-one coaching, and a variety of other resources!

Chapters

• 1:15 Understanding the crucial distinction
• 2:32 Why this shift matters
• 7:17 Five strategies for implementation
• 9:07 Real success story
• 10:11 Key takeaways and challenge

Transcript

Jennifer Ann Johnson: 0:39

Today, we're diving into a game-changing concept that could revolutionize the way that you approach your business. We're talking about the critical difference between working in your business and working on your business. In the next few minutes, we'll explore why this distinction matters, how to shift your focus, and the transformative impact it can have on your business growth and personal fulfillment as an entrepreneur. So let's start with a scenario that might sound familiar to many of you. You're a passionate business owner. You built your company from the ground up. You're hands-on involved in every aspect of the day-to-day operations, from managing your client relationships to overseeing projects. You're handling finances and maybe you're even making the coffee. You do it all. On the surface, this level of involvement may seem admirable. After all, nobody knows your business better than you do. Right, we've all been there. But here's the catch You're constantly caught up in the daily grind. When you do find the time to step back and look at the bigger picture, you don't because you can't find the time. You're always doing everything. When do you strategize for the future or innovate or work on scaling your business? You don't, because you're so busy. This is the crucial difference between working in your business and working on your business. Working in the business means that you're focused on day-to-day operations and the tasks that keep the wheels turning. Working on the business, on the other hand, is about strategic thinking, planning for growth and improving your business. Now this concept was popularized by Michael Gerber in his book the E-Myth Revisited. He argues that to build a successful, scalable business, entrepreneurs need to shift from being merely operators to becoming true business owners and leaders. So why is this shift so important? Scalability is number one. When you're involved in every aspect of your business, you become the bottleneck. Your business can only grow as much as your personal capacity allows. By working on your business, you create systems and processes that allow your company to function and grow beyond what you can personally do. Another one is innovation. When you're constantly putting out fires and handling those day-to-day tasks, there's little time or mental space for that innovation that is so crucial to your business. Working on your business gives you the perspective to see new opportunities and time to actually pursue them, and then you can do strategic planning. It's hard to plan for the future when you're always focused on the present. Working on your business allows you to set long-term goals and create those strategies to actually achieve them, and this is where personal growth comes in. As an entrepreneur, your personal growth is tied to your business growth. Working on your business challenges, you develop new skills and perspectives which foster your growth as a leader. Always working in your business can lead to burnout. We all know that. We've all been there at some point. Shifting your focus allows you to build your business so that it can run without your constant involvement, giving more freedom and more balance. So now that you have an overlook of why this shift is crucial, let's talk about how we're going to actually make it happen, and I'm going to give you five strategies that will help you make this a reality.

Jennifer Ann Johnson: 6:32

Schedule strategic time. Block out specific times in your calendar for working on your business. I call it founder's time. Treat this time as sacred no interruptions, no day-to-day tasks. Use it for strategic planning. Day-to-day tasks. Use it for strategic planning. Use it for analyzing your business and brainstorming innovations.

Jennifer Ann Johnson: 6:51

Number two is delegate and empower. Start delegating tasks that don't absolutely require your personal attention. I know it's going to feel uncomfortable at first, because I've done it, but it's essential. Empower your team members by giving them responsibility and authority to make decisions and then get out of their way. Three is systematize your operations. Create SOPs or standard operating procedures for tasks that always happen. It not only makes your business more efficient, but it also makes it easier to delegate and train new team members. Your business more efficient, but it also makes it easier to delegate and train new team members.

Jennifer Ann Johnson: 7:32

Number four is invest in your team. Develop your team skills so they can take on more responsibilities. The more capable your team, the more you can step back from the day-to-day. And number five is to set goals and KPIs. Establish clear goals for your business and key performance indicators to track progress. This gives you a framework for your strategic planning and helps you focus on what really matters for your business growth.

Jennifer Ann Johnson: 7:55

Remember, this shift isn't going to happen overnight. It's a gradual process that requires a conscious effort. It requires patience, and I know you're going to feel resistant at first. After all, nobody knows your business like you do, right. But remember your unique value as a business owner isn't doing every task. It's steering the ship and charting the course for the future.

Jennifer Ann Johnson: 8:20

So let me just share a quick example with you. There's a graphic designer that started her own agency and for the first couple of years, she was involved in every single project, every client interaction, every business decision. Her business was successful, but she was working 80 plus hour weeks and growth was stagnant. She decided to make the change and she started blocking out every Friday afternoon for strategic work. She used this time to analyze her business model, identify her most profitable services and then plan for scaling. She also invested in time creating detailed process documents for her design work and the client management portion. Over time, she was able to hire and train team members to handle much of that day-to-day work. That freed her to focus on high-level client relationships, marketing new offerings, and within two years, her agency had tripled in size. She had cut her work hours almost in half.

Jennifer Ann Johnson: 9:20

So working in your business focuses on the day-to-day operations, while working on your business involves strategic planning and growth. The shift is crucial for scalability, innovation, strategic planning, personal growth and work-life balance. Strategies to make the shift include that strategic or founder time, delegating, creating systems, investing in your team and setting clear goals. Remember your business needs you to be the visionary leader that you started out as, not just a skilled operator. By shifting your focus to working on your business, you're not just building a better company, you're becoming a better entrepreneur. So I challenge you to take action today. Block out some time in your calendar this week specifically for working on your business. Use that time to step back, look at the big picture and start charting the course for your business's future.