So How Do I Work ON My Business Without Working IN My Business
One easy way to think of the distinction between these two states is to think of working in your business as essentially having a job. With this job, you have assigned tasks that you do over and over again. Your focus is on those tasks, leaving you little or no time to think of any other tasks or functions that may be going on at the same time you plod through your own assigned list of tasks.
From this perspective, being "in" your business is a lot like working for someone else. When you are an employee, you don't spend much time wondering what tasks the VP of Marketing is doing, or how the Accounting department works. You handle things in your own little world, collect your paycheck, and go your merry way.
By contrast, working on your business encompasses a lot more territory. As a business owner, you must think in terms of not one little corner of the business operation, but the entire organization. This means you can't afford to be bogged down in tasks associated with one area. If you want to be successful, you must always have a view of the big picture.
Being able to see the big picture and work on growing your business is where the idea of systemization comes in. You create and implement systems that allow all those little things to work while you are focusing on a broader view of things. Working on your business means you don't have to do everything yourself, and you don't have to micro-manage anyone you've hired to do specific tasks for you. If the system is designed properly, the day to day aspects of the business will continue with or without your attention, effectively freeing you to spend your days working on making the business stronger, more profitable, and bigger than ever before.