Today, the post is more about my thoughts. Recently, I was talking to an entrepreneur. We started discussing our car-wrapping business, applying film to storefronts and wrapping windows and furniture.
And he asked me a direct question. Listen, do you know how to wrap things yourself? Can you wrap a car? No, I answered honestly. I do not have that skill, and I do not know how to apply the film. He was surprised and asked how I even manage this business branch if I cannot do it with my own hands. That made me think. We started a discussion. The main question was whether a business owner is obligated to know how to do the things they build their business on with their own hands.
My thoughts are that when I was just launching this branch, the logic was simple. Clients ordered stickers and logo printing from us, and then asked if we could apply them. We declined, and the clients moved on to find a provider who offers everything in one place. They did not want to come to us for the sticker first and then look for an installer. To avoid losing orders, when we moved to a new office, I decided to open an application and offer wrapping services.
My task was to build a system. To write down processes and rules, and make sure that the structure works, not just one person. So that a client comes to the company and gets a guaranteed result, regardless of who is on shift today. Therefore, my choice was to look for strong people in this field. Now I have a partner who understands the technical part, is passionate about it, and is responsible for the quality. And I am responsible for business processes, marketing, and the flow of clients.
Yes, there are some downsides here. Since I am not a wrapping expert myself, at the beginning of the journey, I was completely dependent on an employee or a contractor. I just took their word for it. If they said it was impossible to wrap something, I agreed. I could not take the film and check if they were right or if they just did not want to do this difficult order.
But there is another side to it. If I knew how to apply it myself and did it perfectly, there would be a huge temptation to build the business around myself. Then people would go not to the company, but to master Andrey. And a business tied to a personality is very difficult to scale. If you get sick, leave, or go study, everything stops.
What do you think?
Should a business owner know how to do everything 100 percent with their own hands, or is their role different?
