By Rachel King
If you asked me for my No. 1 piece of advice about owning a business, I’d say that eventually you have to step away from being the worker bee.
I know how difficult that sounds. You built the business. You know your customers. You care about every detail. Handing those responsibilities to someone else can feel like handing over a piece of yourself. For years, that was me.
As the owner of Lift & Glitz Training Studio, I taught group classes, led personal training sessions, handled customer service, marketed the studio and managed everything behind the scenes. My schedule was full. Some clients had trained with me for years and couldn’t imagine switching to someone else.
Honestly, I struggled to imagine it, too. I loved those relationships. But I also needed more time to run my business. When your day is filled with appointments and classes, the bigger decisions get squeezed into whatever time and energy you have left.
The change I needed came unexpectedly
I had already thought about stepping away from regular training responsibilities. I knew it was the next move, but there always seemed to be a reason to keep someone on my schedule a little longer. Then my husband had a serious accident and needed constant care for about three months.
Suddenly, I couldn’t keep doing everything. He needed me, my business needed leadership, and I had to find other trainers to take over my classes and clients. It was a difficult time for our family, and it forced a professional change I had been struggling to make.
You have to teach people how to take over
One of the biggest questions holding me back was “Who is going to do it the way I do?”
Every trainer brings her own personality, strengths and way of connecting with people. I could show my trainers the standards I expected, explain how I approached a session and help them understand the experience I wanted every client to have.
That took more than handing someone a schedule. I spent time showing trainers what I did and why. We held weekly meetings. I offered feedback in the moment and helped them work through situations as they came up. I made room for questions and gave them opportunities to build confidence.
As owners, we sometimes expect people to know things we have spent years learning. Then we get frustrated when something isn’t done the way we pictured it. But have we actually taught them? Have we explained our expectations clearly? Have we followed up?
Mentoring takes time. For me, that time became one of the most valuable investments I made in my business.
My team grew, and so did the business
Once other trainers took over my classes and clients, I had more time for customer service, marketing, advertising and planning. I could give an important email my full attention or develop an idea I would have set aside because my next session was starting.
My business began growing month after month. More of that growth came from the work of my entire team. I was helping other people succeed, and together we could serve more women. I still had plenty of work to do, but I finally had time to give the business the leadership it needed.
Have an honest conversation with yourself
If you feel stuck in the day-to-day work of your business, think about where you want to be in five or 10 years. Do you want another location, a larger team or more time with your family? Which responsibilities could someone else take on with the right training?
Think about how to prepare that person. You might write down a process, set aside time for mentoring or start with one responsibility you can gradually hand over. You may also need to get comfortable with someone doing a great job in a way that looks a little different from yours.
I still care deeply about the work happening on our studio floors. Teaching my team has allowed me to reach more clients than I could ever serve on my own. If you want your business to grow, you have to be willing to grow as its owner. For me, that meant learning to teach, trust and give myself time to lead.
I share more lessons from almost 11 years of ownership in episode 6 of “The Lift & Glitz Podcast,” titled “What I Wish I Knew Before Becoming a Business Owner.” Look for the upcoming episode on YouTube and Apple Podcasts.
Lift your strength. Glitz your life.
Rachel King is the founder and CEO of Lift & Glitz Training Studio, a women-only fitness community with locations in Northfield and Galloway, New Jersey, and the host of the Lift & Glitz Podcast: Lift Your Strength. Glitz Your Life.
