The HVAC Owner Hasn't Taken a Vacation in 10 Years: Dedicated or Trapped?

Hank pulls into his driveway and parks. He turns the key toward him, and once his car shuts off, he leans back into his seat and sighs. He still has a mountain of a to-do list of things that need to be done that he hasn't been able to get to because there've been so many jobs that needed his attention and expertise.

He used to come home and spend an hour doing the office work and wrapping up the day. Now he is answering phone calls even after he gets home and spends some evenings eating dinner alone in his home office while he tackles CEO tasks. As a result, it's a surprise when he's present and active with his family. And even when he is present and active, he struggles to not let work intrude.

"I'm beyond exhausted," he says. "I desperately need a vacation or at least a break of some kind, but leaving would mean the business would suffer. No matter how long I work or how hard I try, I just can't seem to keep up with everything I need to do."

Does this scenario feel familiar to you? Maybe you've never been in this scenario, but perhaps you know someone who's said something along these lines. We'll discuss what it means to be indispensable to your own business, and share the financial systems that make delegation possible.

The Indispensable Owner Trap

Hank believes that he is indispensable in his business. His knowledge and expertise are needed to handle the uncommon situations that arise. Since he built this company from the ground up, he feels that he knows the nuances of both it and the industry better than his employees. This perceived knowledge gap makes it difficult to entrust his current technician with more than standard tasks. Yes, his technician is reliable and consistent, which helps take some of the pressure off, but this technician does things a little differently than he does. He also doesn't have as much knowledge or experience as Hank, and frequently calls him to consult on a job. Based on this evidence, Hank believes that even if he was gone for only a day, he would have to put out a bunch of fires when he returns.

How Indispensability is a Bottleneck

When the owner, Hank, doesn't believe that others will accurately or completely finish a job or task, it is easy to just do all the tasks in a misguided belief that it will prevent future problems. The problem is that the massive list of tasks never gets shorter, and the weight of those responsibilities gradually wears him down to the point where the job he once felt joy in starting each day has been replaced with a dread of all the tasks that need to be accomplished today, and a fear that an essential task will be missed. He carries a heavy weight on his shoulders that only seems to get heavier as time goes on. Outside of the jobs the other technician takes on and the responsibilities the office staff fulfill, everything depends on him and the time he has. He's spent many late nights and even weekends trying to keep up with bookkeeping, ordering supplies for upcoming jobs, processing payroll, and many other tasks. And when those tasks don't get done, it's on him.

How the Indispensable Owner is a Restricted Owner

Since Hank and the other technician are the only ones capable of performing HVAC work every hour that the two of them are not performing billable work, the company is not earning money. As the administrative side of the business has grown, Hank's time has become increasingly divided between paying work and admin work. So while Hank is working more hours than ever, the company's capacity to perform work has decreased steadily. And if he or the other technician gets injured or sick, that only makes the issue worse.

On top of that, he still has a growing to-do list of admin tasks that don't get done until after working on various jobs. Because he's so busy completing job after job after job, the only time he has to do admin tasks like sending invoices and paying bills is at night when he gets home from work or on the weekends. Not only that, but many financial decisions are made in haste due to the limited time and headspace he has to think about said decisions. For example, he hires out of desperation for a present need rather than a long term need. He's also bought some materials in bulk without a plan for how he'll use it all. Not only that, but he also guessed on job pricing rather than taking the time to carefully calculate how much each job would actually cost.

How Can Hank Escape?

Now that Hank's more aware of what he can do to shed some of the burden he's been carrying, he sits down in his home office, pulls out a notepad and pen, and makes a couple of lists, the first being a list of things he needs to teach the other technician. He also makes a list of things he can delegate to his office staff. Then he pulls out his calendar for the next month to see what jobs are on the schedule to see what he could delegate to the other technician. He also makes a to-do list for the next day, which includes looking into hiring a CFO and/or a bookkeeper, researching ways to streamline financial processes such as sending customers invoices, and other tasks. Finally, he blocks time off in his day to tackle his to-do list tomorrow, as well as time to work on CEO tasks in the future weeks to come.

Fast forward to three months later, and we see Hank pull into his driveway and park. He turns the key toward him, and once his car shuts off, he leans back into his seat and sighs, but it's not out of exhaustion; this time it's out of happiness. He's smiling for the first time in a while, and he feels lighter than he did three months before. He gets out of his car, eager to ask his family how their day was and spend time with them that's not filled with thoughts about work.

Hank is finally in a place where he runs his business, not the other way around. And other HVAC business owners can do this too. But if they continually stay stuck, they'll be led to believe this statement: "If the business stops when the owner steps back, the owner does not have a business; they have a job."

Call to Action

List the 3 financial decisions only you can make in your business right now. For each, write down what information someone else would need to make that decision without you.

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Disclaimer: The information in this post is intended for general guidance purposes. For advice specific to your business finances or taxes, consult a licensed accountant or financial advisor.