Being busy doesn’t always mean being profitable, and sometimes working harder isn’t the answer.

There’s something I’ve noticed when talking to business owners, some of the busiest people I meet aren’t necessarily the ones making the most money.

They’re working long hours, answering emails in the evenings, taking calls at weekends and doing everything they can to keep customers happy. Their diaries are full, the phone keeps ringing and, from the outside, the business looks like it’s doing really well.

But when we sit down and look at the numbers, the picture can be quite different.

I’ve had conversations with business owners who tell me how much their turnover has increased, which is fantastic. But when we start talking about profit, what they’re actually taking home and how many hours they’re working, the excitement sometimes disappears.

And it makes me wonder whether we’ve become a little too obsessed with being busy.

I think there’s a temptation when you’re running a business to believe that more work must mean more success. Another customer, another contract, another project. Surely that’s what we’re all working towards?

But more work brings more costs. You might need additional employees, more equipment, larger premises or extra support. Then there are the costs that seem to creep up without us noticing, such as insurance, software, utilities and suppliers.

Before you know it, you’re turning over more money than ever before, but there’s very little extra left for you.

And you’re probably working harder than you were two years ago!

Something else I’ve noticed is how reluctant business owners can be to increase their prices.

I understand it. Nobody wants to lose a good customer, particularly one they’ve worked with for years. There’s always that little voice asking whether they’ll go somewhere cheaper.

But if your costs have increased and your prices haven’t, somebody has to absorb the difference.

Usually, that’s you.

I’ve seen business owners take on additional work simply because they don’t want to turn it away. Even when they’re already stretched, they somehow find another few hours in the week.

I’ve done my fair share of that over the years too. When you’re building a business, saying yes becomes almost automatic. You want to grow, you want to help people and you certainly don’t want to miss an opportunity.

But I’ve learned that not every opportunity is necessarily a good one.

Sometimes the customer who takes up the most time isn’t the one generating the most profit. Sometimes that extra contract creates more problems than it’s worth. And sometimes the best decision you can make is to say no.

That’s not always easy, particularly when you’ve worked hard to build your business.

I also think we sometimes forget to put ourselves into the equation.

We talk about turnover, profit, employees and growth, but how often do we stop and ask whether the business is actually giving us what we wanted when we started?

If you’re working 60 hours a week, constantly worrying about money and struggling to take a holiday, is increasing your turnover really the answer?

Perhaps it is. But perhaps something needs to change first.

These are the sorts of conversations I enjoy having with business owners. Sometimes we’ll start by looking at the figures, but before long we’re talking about how the business operates, where their time goes and what they’d really like to achieve.

Quite often, people already know something needs to change. They just haven’t had the opportunity to sit down, talk it through and look at things from a different perspective.

I’ve found that having someone ask a few questions can make you think differently. It’s certainly something I’ve experienced through having my own business coach.

One of the biggest changes I’ve made at Swan Saunders has been learning to step away from doing everything myself. It hasn’t happened overnight, and it certainly hasn’t always been easy.

But I realised that constantly being involved in every piece of work wasn’t necessarily the best use of my time, or the best thing for the business.

I’m still learning, and I’m sure there will be more changes ahead.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with wanting to grow a business. Growth can create opportunities, financial security and a great future for everyone involved.

But I do think we need to be careful about how we measure success.

Because surely the aim isn’t just to build a business that keeps us busy. It’s to build one that rewards us for all the effort we put into it.

And sometimes, rather than asking how we can get more work, perhaps we should be asking whether the work we’re already doing is actually working for us.

Glenn’s Notebook – Business, life and everything in between.