Small Business Blog from Atlantic Canada

I am "CA" Atreya (PMP, MBA), the author of this blog. I help businesses in Atlantic Canada achieve their BHAG successfully. You may subscribe to this blog using a feed reader (RSS).

As a small business owner or entrepreneur do you empower your team? Do you trust your employees to effectively do their jobs? You started your startup with passion, laser focus and attention to detail. Just as an infant starts to walk on its own, your organization does too. When that happens, do you turn into a control freak? If you continue to insist on minutely controlling every aspect of your business, you have succumbed to the “small business owner syndrome”. Such entrepreneurs think their way is the only way.

During my undergrad days, I worked briefly with a small business. The interviews went on well and I was hired. It was a small operation (owner and six other employees). I was in it more for the experience than the money. Within a week, the owner was questioning everything: plans for the week, plans for the day, plans for the hour, calls to prospects, what did I say, etc etc. Needless to say I did not stay there long. Before I was hired, I was the best person for the job. How can the same person become incompetent within a week? Later when I reflected on that operation, I recollected total lack of enthusiasm by the employees. They were going about their tasks like robots. All customer queries was directed to the owner. There was just one way of doing things - the owner’s way. You would hit a road block at the mention of change. This experience was an eye opener for me and an introduction to the small business owner syndrome.

The small business owner syndrome occurs when an entrepreneur continues to insist on minutely controlling every aspect of the organization’s activities. Such entrepreneurs end up micro-managing every aspect of the business. This effects the growth of the business. The small business owner needs to know every trivial detail and is the only decision maker in the organization. From infancy, business owners are used to being in charge and making sure everything is under. As the business grows, they take on more and more activities and try to be Superman. There comes a time when the business has grown so much that is impossible to be on top of things. By not delegating responsibility with authority they become a victim of their own success.

Such an entrepreneur or a small business owner is threatened by anyone with skills greater than his/her own. Such a controlled syndrome can be attributed to ego, fear and ignorance of management principles. As a consultant, I have a number of cases when an entrepreneur will say to me, “If I need anything done properly, I have to do it myself”. This statement reflects the lack of faith in employees; employees that he himself has recruited.

When was the last time your staff handled a difficult situation without involving you? With a small business syndrome, the entrepreneur will never have this situation. Taking a vacation (defined as no contact with the office and not working) is the ultimate test that you do not suffer from the small business owner syndrome.

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