My wife signed us up to attend a two day workshop on investment strategies. Attending a workshop on investment strategies wasn’t very high on my list of things to do. As a matter of fact, I don’t think it was even on the list. However, as most of you that are married or involved with a significant other can attest, sometimes you do things you don’t really want to do to keep peace in the household. As a result, I spent my weekend, sitting in an uncomfortable straight back chair, at a two day workshop on investment strategies.

I got a lot out of the workshop, although not exactly what they wanted me to get out it. There were a number of statements the instructor made that really got me thinking. One was that no one cares as much about your money as you do. The corollary to this is that no one cares as much about your business as you do.
People spend a lot of money in the stock market, sometimes with little hope of success. You can invest your money, but have very little influence on the success or failure of your stock picks. If you take that same money and invest it in your company, however, you can heavily influence your outcomes. Investing in your company and yourself allows you to gain a far greater return on your investment than anything you make in stocks or bonds.

To really create a company that creates equity and wealth for you and your family, you have to get out of the day-to-day fire fighting. If the company can’t run without you, you’re not creating anything of value. If you die, so does your company. Getting your company to run without you takes time and effort. But if you don’t do it, it won’t get done.

One of the best ways to invest in your company is to build your company for the future, one that doesn’t require you. Start developing a systems approach to everything you do in your business. Begin identifying the processes that make your business run. Who’s involved? If your name shows up beside every process, start delegating. So start taking steps today to create a business that shows you a return on the investment you’re making.