If I’m working ON my business what should I be doing?

Working On Your Business vs Working In It: Why the Difference Matters for NZ SMEs

As a small to medium-sized Kiwi business owner, you know how quickly the daily demands can consume your time. Chasing invoices, managing staff, fixing problems, and keeping customers happy — these are all part of working in your business. But what about working on your business? That’s where long-term growth really happens. At SME Financial, we often see business owners so caught up in the daily grind that they struggle to create space for planning, strategy, and structure. And yet, these are the very disciplines that turn a busy business into a thriving one.

The Key Differences

Think of working on your business as planning and setting direction, while working in your business is about carrying out those plans and keeping things running. Let’s look at a few examples:

• Planning vs doing: Working on means writing and updating a plan; working in means implementing it.
• Budgeting vs measuring: Working on means preparing a budget or forecast; working in means measuring results against it.
• Managing risk vs solving problems: Working on is identifying risks and deciding how to avoid them; working in is carrying out those solutions.
• Structuring vs staffing: Working on involves deciding how to structure and resource the business; working in involves employing and managing the team. Or getting the help that you need.
• Monitoring vs improving: Working on means reviewing performance and deciding how to improve; working in means making those improvements happen.
• Financing vs arranging: Working on means deciding how to best finance the business; working in means securing and managing that finance.
• Communicating vision vs updates: Working on is reporting to owners; working in is keeping staff and clients informed.

Both are essential, but without balance you’ll either end up firefighting without progress, or dreaming without delivery.

How Much Time Should You Set Aside?

You don’t need to spend all day working on the business, but you do need to protect time for it:

• Weekly: 1–2 hours to focus on strategy.
• Monthly: Half a day to review progress, structure, risks, and opportunities.
• Annually: 1–2 days off-site to update your business plan and direction.

The best practice? Involve someone independent who can help by bringing objectivity, challenging your thinking, and holding you accountable to your plan of seeing long-term growth.

Is Your Business Working for You?

The business should serve you, not the other way around. If you feel stuck in the daily grind, now’s the time to rebalance how you work.

At SME Financial, we’ve had the privilege of partnering with Auckland’s small and medium-sized businesses for over 30 years. From business planning and budgets to structure and performance reviews, we can help you carve out the time to work on your business and achieve the growth you’re aiming for.

Ready to take the next step? Get in touch with us today. Let’s make sure your business is working for you, not the other way round.

Together we can achieve more.