Are you holding onto something in your business that is holding you back?

We said goodbye to our beautiful dog, Storm, last month at the age of 17 years and 11 months.  We hoped that she would make it to the grand old age of 18, but it was not to be. As a family, we discussed whether we were holding on to her for us and what the best decision would be for her.  My daughter, at 19 years of age, cannot remember life without her “Stormie-Girl”.  They grew up together and every adventure we had as a family, Storm was there with us.  The love they had for each other was mutual.  The difficult decision was made that it was the right time, and we laid her to rest peacefully.

Life is very different without her however, it has become apparent rather quickly how much we slowly changed our life to accommodate for Storm and her health as she aged and lost both her hearing and her sight.  Having other dogs in the family, meant that their lives changed to fit around the household changes as well.

It got me thinking about how we hold on to things because “that’s the way we have always done it”.  It’s scary to think about letting things go that have been a part of your business for a long time.  New team members join and they learn that they have to fit in with the way things are done even if they can clearly see a better way of doing things.

We carry on doing things and slowly other parts of the business evolve to accommodate these things that “we have always done”.  Sometimes these things are holding us back from being able to make room for better ideas and ways of doing things.

Back when my practice went 100% Xero in 2012, I was told by another accountant that I was crazy, the move would be the demise of the practice and it wouldn’t survive because of the decision.  Here I am 13 years later with a practice that is still 100% Xero.  It was a bold move back then, when Xero was still reasonably new to the market. 

Yes, it was scary letting go of the old system we had been using for years.  It was a challenge for some staff to learn to embrace a new system and let go of the old.   However, I can’t imagine where my business would be now without Xero.  It’s not only me that has benefited from this decision.  I’ve been fortunate to be able to watch my clients become empowered in the understanding of their businesses because of the change I made.

This is only one example of a difficult decision in business as I’m constantly reviewing how I’m doing things and try to be open-minded to change and learning new ways of doing things.

Is there anything in your business that you are holding onto that might be holding you back from stepping up to the next level?