In a previous blog post, I discussed that the 7 items I no longer do in my indoor playground (tabithasiegel.skyrock.com) company as I have grown and matured as a business proprietor.

I chased Michael Hyatt, who, in most of his books and programs always describes designing your ideal days and weeks as”the desire zone” Running inside your dream zone, even as he describes it, simply means you’re spending the majority of your time doing what you both love AND are good at.

While this is constantly changing as my priorities (both professionally and personally) evolve, these are 5 of the jobs that I am not giving up only yet for a company proprietor.

1) COMMUNICATE WITH BIRTHDAY CLIENTS

At Growing Vines Cafe and Play, we’ve picked our exceptional private birthday parties as the primary focus of our business.

Because of this attention, I’ve chosen to personally plan the primary aspects of each celebration we host. When someone publications their occasion with us, they get a comprehensive confirmation that includes my own contact information and mentions that I will be in touch because their event draws near.

While I do not typically handle the implementation of our parties, I do still act as the main touchpoint for parents and collect all their information and preferences. Ten days prior to each party, I send a personalized celebration”questionnaire” that includes all of the details we’ve gathered up to this point, provides added day-of information, and inquires about last-minute details.

I answer all queries that the host might have in response to this email and– following some back-and-forth communication– I record all their event info on what we call a”celebration prep sheet.” Based on clients’ choices, I make a listing for all of our vendors (catering, party supplies, balloons, paper products, etc.) and will ordinarily have a team member complete the shopping and organize all the supplies so they are grouped by party. Since we have around 6 all-inclusive events in one weekend, this business is indispensable!

The party-prep sheet is an extremely thorough document that makes it possible for our party hosts to execute the event to the specific specifications of the parents, leaving no rock unturned. This has enabled me to have most weekends free nonetheless still feel convinced we’re delivering an above-and-beyond birthday party experience.

After the celebration, we deliver a survey to each hosting family. Should they have feedback, whether it be positive or negative, I always follow up . This closes the loop clients’ experience and makes certain they know I truly care for their child’s special day. This method has resulted in a significant amount of repeat bookings and consistent referrals from previous parties.

Not merely is planning these celebrations some thing I excel in, but I also take great pleasure in it. Event planning is the way I got into the business in the first place, so I’m more than pleased to take on this endeavor. If I’m ever feeling overwhelmed with all the details, I know I have amazing team members I will lean on.

Speaking of our incredible team members, yet another task I choose to get a hand is our hiring and firing procedure. While I do leave the final decision up to our cafe manager, I would rather write the project posts and filter and descriptions through resumes and applications before bringing anybody in for a meeting.

Having spent several years hiring and firing my fair share of workers, it is easy for me to spot red-flags on applications and find”diamonds in the rough” Since we’ve got most of our normal operating procedures documented and optimized, I would rather employ based on character and enthusiasm instead of experience.

In addition, I make sure I personally welcome each employee to our team and touch base with them often to check in and collect feedback from them.

Another job that lies in my present”desire zone” is digging the general direction of our organization and coming up with fresh ways to best serve our community.

Since I no longer spend some time doing those 7 things (and more!) , my energy and time are freed up to investigate what our perfect clients want and need and figure out a way to incorporate that into our business model.

For instance, I noticed that our birthday celebration bookings were slowing down in the summertime. When I requested a few clients, they said that they DID love our events and attention-to-detail but preferred a Summer celebration to be outside at their residence (since many have backyards and pools). We then began offering mobile events, where we’d bring food, decorations, and activities for the children to their houses, and it was a hit!

Another example is our occasions . We are always adding fun new events that enable clients, especially working parents with limited weekday accessibility, to visit us out of hours and get an enhanced experience through the theme of the event, class, or activity.

If I were I still doing EVERY job in my enterprise, I wouldn’t have nearly enough time to do as much innovation or research.

If it comes to knowing how to innovate and the best way to offer, it all starts with forging a real connection with customers.

It’s for this reason that I love interacting with our customers all time (when I can) and on social networking. I opt to work parties, events, as well as open-play if my family’s schedule allows it so that I can stay active and aware of what’s happening during the day. Additionally, it gives me the opportunity to observe how clients are using our distance first-hand and listen to any concerns or questions they have. Although at this age of technology there are reviews, forms, and polls, I have discovered that NOTHING can replace using a face-to-face conversation with clients using your distance (and likely visits competitors too!)

It’s because of this you will also see billionaire CEOs visiting retail locations on a regular basis. Howard Schultz, the former CEO of Starbucks, was renowned for visiting hundreds of stores around the nation every year, spending time with all the customers who were spending their money on his merchandise.

I love being a family owned and operated business, and that I love for my customers to understand that I’m fully invested in their own happiness.

While I do one-on-one consulting for individuals hoping to start out indoor playgrounds, I really do spend a significant quantity of time creating absolutely free content for them on my blog and over on YouTube. I also have a totally free, 44-page eBook for play-cafe-owning hopefuls that they can download directly on our website or simply by clicking here.

If a person consumes that free info and decides they still would love to proceed with their plans, I have an online program called Play Cafe Academy in which I assist entrepreneurs get from daydream to opening-day in significantly less time and less stress than they ever believed possible.

When I was researching this company model, there wasn’t a great deal of information out there. Recent owners actually keep all of their business secrets close to their vest, and that I don’t blame them! Even in the event that you charge a consulting fee, you are still kind of giving away the keys that you have worked so difficult for and it is very easy as a company owner to acquire a little smug and protective of your research and development.

When it came time to open my own company, I ended up making a slew of mistakes (and I mean a TON of errors ) because I simply did not know any better. So when I began getting emails and calls to consult for other potential play cafe owners, then I could not keep all this info to myself. While it’s easy for me to feel like an imposter or there are other business owners much more capable than me to share this advice, I understand that there’s a 4-years-ago me sitting somewhere waiting for the next idea to jump out in them.

And honestly, I do not need to see an additional company close because somebody who’s walked before them did not share any information! Why don’t you discuss it myself?!

But my time is valuable. I have two little kids and run another company… I do not have 12 hours to spend hand-holding each standpoint owner through the process. (And let me tell you, it is going to require at least 12 to 24 hours of paid one-on-one consulting to even break the surface of everything you require, such as documentation.)

Students can go through those modules in their own pace, and I do not need to spend the opportunity to walk my pupils throughout the program.

This allows me to help other entrepreneurs in their path while at the same time reserving time and energy I need for my family and other commitments.

Overall, this business model may actually be anything the owner wants it to be. I know many owners who choose to do ALL of the things inside their small business, and it works for them because we all have distinct”desire zones.”

Are and can design my”perfect” weeks accordingly. When I was still burning the candle on both ends trying to handle everything , I would do myself, my loved ones, and my clients a significant disservice.