{"id":321,"date":"2025-03-10T16:50:29","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T17:50:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/?p=321"},"modified":"2025-03-19T17:44:24","modified_gmt":"2025-03-19T17:44:24","slug":"the-7-roles-of-every-small-business-owner-and-how-to-manage-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/2025\/03\/10\/the-7-roles-of-every-small-business-owner-and-how-to-manage-them\/","title":{"rendered":"The 7 Roles of Every Small Business Owner and How to Manage Them"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 7 Roles of Every Small Business Owner and How to Manage Them<\/a> written by John Jantsch<\/a> read more at Duct Tape Marketing<\/a><\/p>\n

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Ever feel like running your business is a never-ending game of keeping plates spinning? I remember watching a circus performer as a kid, keeping seven or eight plates balanced on tall sticks. Just when one would start to wobble, he\u2019d rush over to give it a quick spin, only to dash to the next one teetering on the edge of disaster.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s exactly what running a small business<\/a> feels like, right? Unless you\u2019ve got an army of employees, chances are you\u2019re juggling multiple roles every day\u2014some better than others. So, let\u2019s break down these seven roles and talk about how you can keep those plates spinning without losing your sanity<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\nhttps:\/\/youtube.com\/watch?v=nfbXM49aKSc&si=NdDdSzqXWrYF0-0a<\/a><\/p>\n
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1. The CEO (a.k.a. The Visionary)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Someone\u2019s got to set the direction, and spoiler alert\u2014it\u2019s you. But let\u2019s be real: in small businesses, the CEO role often gets pushed to the side. You\u2019re so busy working in<\/em> the business that you forget to work on<\/em> the business.<\/p>\n

Solution?<\/strong> Time-blocking. Set aside a couple of hours a week\u2014call it your \u201cbig thinking time.\u201d No emails, no client calls, just you mapping out where you want to be a year from now. If you don\u2019t do it, no one else will.<\/p>\n

2. The Salesperson (a.k.a. The Rainmaker)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

No one\u2019s bringing in the revenue but you. You\u2019re out there generating leads, following up, and closing deals. And let\u2019s be honest, if you stop selling, everything else grinds to a halt.<\/p>\n

Solution?<\/strong> Automate your follow-ups. Tools like ActiveCampaign and HubSpot can send nurture emails, move prospects through a pipeline, and remind you when it\u2019s time to follow up personally. Set up a system once, and let it work for you.<\/p>\n

3. The Strategist (a.k.a. The Master Planner)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Marketing without strategy is just guessing.<\/p>\n

Solution:<\/strong> Follow a proven framework. Our Strategy First framework<\/strong> provides a repeatable process to ensure marketing efforts are structured and scalable.<\/p>\n

What is Strategy First?\u00a0<\/strong>Strategy First is a structured marketing approach that helps businesses attract the right clients, differentiate themselves, and start charging a premium. It includes a full audit of your online presence, competitive landscape analysis, ideal client persona development, and a customer journey map using our proprietary Marketing Hourglass<\/strong> methodology. This process, completed in 30-45 days with three 1-on-1 meetings, delivers a clear marketing roadmap that businesses can implement themselves or with continued support from a Fractional CMO. Learn more about Strategy First process.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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4.\u00a0The Project Manager (a.k.a. The Organizer of Chaos)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Once you\u2019ve got clients and a strategy, now you\u2019ve got to\u00a0get the work done<\/em>. Campaigns, vendors, deliverables\u2014it all needs to be managed.<\/p>\n

Solution?<\/strong> Project management tools like Asana<\/a>, Monday<\/a> (what we use here at DTM), or ClickUp<\/a>. These keep everything organized and show clients the progress you\u2019re making without a million email check-ins.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0The Client Manager (a.k.a. The Relationship Keeper)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you want long-term clients (and you\u00a0do<\/em>), you\u2019ve got to\u00a0nurture those relationships<\/a>. Regular check-ins, reports, and proving your value\u2014week in, week out.<\/p>\n

Solution?<\/strong>\u00a0AI-powered reporting. Tools like SEMrush and Google Analytics spit out tons of data, but AI can help translate that into meaningful insights for your clients. Use it to show\u00a0why<\/em>\u00a0what you\u2019re doing matters.<\/p>\n

6.\u00a0The Marketer (a.k.a. The One Who Always Puts Clients First)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Raise your hand if you\u2019ve ever put your own marketing on the back burner because client work comes first. Yeah, we\u2019ve all been there.<\/p>\n

Solution?<\/strong>\u00a0Treat your business like a client<\/a>. Assign yourself a project manager, use AI tools to repurpose content (e.g., take a blog post and turn it into LinkedIn snippets), and schedule social posts in bulk. Your future self will thank you.<\/p>\n

7.\u00a0The Accountant (a.k.a. The One Who Hates This Part)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Invoicing, bookkeeping, taxes\u2014it\u2019s got to get done, but that doesn\u2019t mean you have to do it.<\/p>\n

Solution?<\/strong> Outsource it. If you\u2019re spending hours wrestling with numbers, you\u2019re losing time you could be using to grow your business. Hire a bookkeeper and let them handle it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How to Escape the Chaos<\/h2>\n

So, how do you stop feeling like a circus act?<\/p>\n

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  1. Prioritize the most important roles.<\/strong> Sales, strategy, and client management should top the list.<\/li>\n
  2. Automate what you can.<\/strong> Email sequences, project management, reporting\u2014there\u2019s a tool for everything.<\/li>\n
  3. Delegate and outsource.<\/strong> Hire a VA, a bookkeeper, or a marketing agency. Free up your time for the work that actually moves the needle.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    At the end of the day, you don\u2019t have to keep spinning plates forever. Build systems, get support, and create a business that works for<\/em> you\u2014not one that runs you into the ground.<\/p>\n

    Need help creating a system that works? Check out our Strategy First<\/strong><\/a> program at Duct Tape Marketing. We\u2019ve built a repeatable framework that helps agencies and consultants scale without the chaos.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The 7 Roles of Every Small Business Owner and How to Manage Them written by John Jantsch read more at Duct Tape Marketing Ever feel like running your business is a never-ending game of keeping plates spinning? I remember watching a circus performer as a kid, keeping seven or eight plates balanced on tall sticks. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":323,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":324,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321\/revisions\/324"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/323"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/gogetmuscle.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}