Skip to main content
  • Claims Center
  • Contact Us
  • Español
  • Brokers & Agents
Hiscox Insurance
Menu Toggle
  • Home
  • Small Business Insurance Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Why Hiscox Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Resources Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Policy Management Toggle Menu Toggle Menu
  • Claims Center
  • Contact Us
  • Español
  • Brokers & Agents
  • About
  • Get a Quote Get a Quote
  • About
  • Get a Quote Get a Quote
  • Blog Home
    Start Your Business
    Grow Your Business
    Protect Your Business
    Celebrate Courage
    Search

    Small Business Insights

    Sign up to get the latest small business news delivered right to your inbox.
    Protect Your Business
    Woman standing in a meeting delivering a speech

    Characteristics of a successful entrepreneur: Hands-on involvement

    Industry Spotlight
    By: Hiscox Blog

    Share Image

    Embed Image

    Copy

    Share Article:

    Getting your hands dirty probably got you in trouble when you were a kid. As an entrepreneur, however, it’s a good thing, at least in a metaphorical sense. One of the top characteristics of a successful entrepreneur is to be hands-on and totally involved in your business.

    Pro tip: Characteristics of an entrepreneur: A step-by-step guide to creating SMART business goals

    You have to be hands-on at the start

    When you first start your business, it’s easy to be hands-on, because you have to do everything. If you’re going solo, you are the one who is pounding the pavement for sales, purchasing or creating the product or service, offering post-sale support, managing accounts payable and receivable, developing the marketing strategy, hiring and managing employees – the list goes on and on.

    As your company grows and you begin to hire more staff or outsource some functions, you may find yourself moving away from the day-to-day functions of running your business. This is a positive development, because it means your business is growing. But it can be disconcerting. Here’s how to make sure you stay in the loop.

    As you grow, being hands-on becomes more important

    It’s challenging to remain hands-on as your company grows, but it’s also important. Understanding what is going on in every department is critical if you want your company to continue to expand. You don’t need to look over every employee’s shoulder every day, but you do need to understand what everyone is doing, including full-time employees, part-time or temporary staff, contractors and vendors. Here’s the acid test: In a pinch, you should be able to jump into any role in the company and keep the ball rolling.

    Pro tip: 10 steps to turning a side hustle into a small business [infographic]

    It’s a balancing act

    There’s a delicate balance between knowing what’s going on and doing everything yourself. Many entrepreneurs think that, since they’ve built their company from the ground up, no one else can do ‘it’ as well as they can – whether ‘it’ is developing a marketing plan, building the product, or ordering supplies. And while you may have come up with the best way to do things when you were doing it all yourself, you need to hand over the reins if you want your business to grow.

    Here are some tips

    Hire people who think like you do. If your staff has a similar mind-set and problem-solving approach to yours, you’ll feel more comfortable leaving everyday tasks in their hands.

    1. Find the right degree of oversight. You and your staff have to be comfortable with the amount of managing you do. If you want your salespeople to report every phone call they make, an independent, take-the-bull-by-the-horns sales manager may not last very long.
    2. Outsource what you can, when it makes more sense than hiring. If you need a  new marketing campaign, it may make more sense for  you to hire an agency rather than add someone to your staff. You can outsource just about anything, from answering the phone to generating sales leads to production.
    3. Keep some key tasks for yourself. You started this business because you have a passion for the product or service you provide. Make sure you’re doing enough of what excites you to keep that passion alive. When work starts to seem more like work and less like the reason you did this in the first place, take back some of the fun stuff. 

    You’re still the boss

    Remember that, as dedicated as your employees may be, no one cares about your business more than you do. You need to feel comfortable with the level of day-to-day involvement you have. You should know enough about what your employees and contractors are doing to jump in if you need to. And keep responsibility for the tasks you love. Now, go get your hands dirty!

    To protect everything you've worked hard to build, don't forget to check out the small business insurance options available to you.

    Protect Your Business

    Protect the business you’ve worked so hard to build. Get a fast, free quote and your business could be covered today.

    Get a Quote
    Get a Quote
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Related Articles

    4 Min Read
    Yorkie being groomed by professional at a salon

    Everything you need to know about additional and named insureds

    Insurance 101

    Have you heard the terms 'named insured’ and ‘additional insured,’ and ever wondered if there's a difference? We break it all down for you in this post. 

    Read More

    5 Min Read
    Small business owners in capes, protecting what they've built from impacts of recession

    Ideas on how to make your business recession-proof

    Management | Entrepreneur

    Here’s what you need to know about the recession and some things you can do to reduce its impact on your small business.

    Read More

    4 Min Read
    sole proprietor learning what insurance policies are best for her business.

    Useful information on the best insurance for sole proprietors

    Insurance 101 | Entrepreneur

    As a sole proprietor, were you aware that you should have business insurance? Get the details on what type of policies are best for your small business needs.

    Read More


    We’re here to help.
    We provide tailored insurance for the specific risks you face, so you can take the right risks to grow your business.
    Get a Quote
    Get a Quote

    Footer menu 1

    • What We Cover
      • Business Insurance
      • General Liability Insurance
      • Professional Liability Insurance
      • Errors and Omissions
      • Cyber Security Insurance
      • Workers Compensation
      • Other Coverage
    • Who We Cover
      • Small Business Owners
      • LLC
      • Sole Proprietors
      • Entrepreneurs
      • Side Hustle
      • Contractors
      • Home Businesses
    • For Our Customers
      • Refer a Friend Program
      • Covid-19 Response
      • Claims Center
    • For Business Owners
      • Save with our Partners
    • About Hiscox
      • About Us
      • Careers
      • Contact Us
      • Hiscox Corporate
      • Investors
      • Foundation
      • Newsroom
      • We Stand Together
      • Affiliate Partner Program

    Footer menu 2

    • Accessibility
    • Site Map
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Legal Notices
    • Español

    Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information

    Feefo Reviews: Hiscox rated 4.7/5 with 1,067 reviews between January 1, 2022 - January 1, 2023

    © 2023 Hiscox Inc. All rights reserved. Underwritten by Hiscox Insurance Company Inc., 30 N. LaSalle St., Suite 1760, Chicago, IL 60602. As of December 31, 2022, HICI had admitted assets of $1,458,861,470 and policyholders surplus of $380,056,863. Total liabilities were $1,078,804,607 (inclusive of $529,538,410 of loss reserves) and paid-up capital stock was $4,242,000.

    icon-facebook
    icon-youtube
    icon-twitter
    icon-linkedin