“What do you MEAN you can’t go?” My husband said, staring at me as I dropped the bomb. Once again my business had taken over my life.

I saw the disappointment in his eyes as I tried to explain that a critical project required my personal involvement.

My team couldn’t do it without me.

It was no wonder our relationship was becoming strained. A marriage needs quality time and attention to thrive.

I wasn’t able to give it either.

And it wasn’t just my marriage that was suffering.

My family stopped believing me when I said I would “be there by 5” and would plan a vacation “soon.” I was gaining weight and not sleeping. The evening glass of wine became 3.

I blamed my business for the stress and lack of time. And by doing so I actually lost MORE time.

Because blaming our “business” means we think the problem is outside of us, which means the solution is too.

Blaming anything for the way we feel or the results in our life robs us of the power to change it.

When we believe we have to make all the decisions, it means our identity is entangled with our business. We don’t want anything to go wrong because we think it means something is wrong with us.

All the “crisis situations” in your business are opportunities for you to transform your business and make it work FOR you. That’s the mindset shift.

It’s common to over-complicate our businesses and try to do too many things for too many types of customers. Fixing that is the strategy shift.

Start now to think of your business as an asset you own. Systematically streamline and simplify. Evaluate every decision by asking, “Will this increase the value of my business?”

1. Narrow your niche so you serve fewer types of customers.

2. Create solutions that scale instead of custom services.

3. Charge in advance and eliminate cashflow problems.

When I made these changes, my business was not only more valuable, but I finally had the time and the freedom I always wanted. Best of all, other people wanted to buy my business, and I had lots of options.

Being responsible for your business means you are able to respond. Start today.