Offense or Defense? Small Business Owners Play Both!

As we approach the end of the regular college football season, most Americans are ready to cheer on their favorite teams during December’s conference championship games and the bowl games beginning later in the month and continuing into early 2014.

Professional football fans are right in the middle of the regular season, which will culminate on February 2 at Super Bowl XLVIII in New Jersey.

Amateur and professional football players generally have one specific position to manage and focus almost entirely on playing offense or defense. Small business owners, however, do not have the luxury of devoting all their time and energy on one specific task.

Entrepreneurs wear many different hats and often change them throughout the day, if not more frequently.

Entrepreneurs must be ready to tackle any situation or challenge that each day (or hour) brings.

A small business owner plays offense and defense. Often he’s the head coach, leading the team and making crucial decisions. Sometimes, she’s part of a special team, bringing unique skills and unconventional thinking to a project. Other days, he might be the quarterback, making a lightning-fast decision and finding the best team player to take the next step.

Companies must carefully weigh their environment and decide when an offensive strategy will work best and when a defensive position might be more helpful.

Launching a new product or service should involve a marketing strategy that is bold (an offensive posture); at other times, it might be best to bring in your public relations crisis management team. Although the latter may start as a defensive move, having the right message broadcast at the right time can quickly move you back to a more comfortable place (ownership of the ball).

An entrepreneur who can easily adapt from one position to a completely different one without changing stride is likely to be an exceptional and proactive manager of his resources. Employees tend to gravitate toward these types of leaders and want to be part of this style of team management.

No matter what the size of your business, it’s a tough field in today’s economic climate. Technology changes, which is good but can also produce additional expenses. Competition may increase as new companies enter the field and charge far less than the average, just to “get going.” Customers become fickle. And so on.

View your business and each day as a head coach. Strategize in advance, be aware of unexpected challenges and send your strongest players out to keep the offense up and the momentum moving!