But…what next? Business owners seek answers to a big question.

Every business owner serves multiple roles, said Lance Coffman, business consultant for the Missouri SBDC at MSU, part of efactory. But just because you’re the owner doesn’t mean that you are confident in where your efforts are most valuable, though.

In Coffman’s consultations, he often gets asked for advice on what to focus on next.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the startup phase or if you are the third-generation business owner – you wear multiple hats,” he said. “Some of those are things that energize you and some are things that are daunting, and you have to force yourself to go through.”

Coffman encourages a balanced approach between the energizing and the depleting.

“If you focus on just the things that energize you, nothing really gets done. And if you focus on just the things that have to get done, you burn out and you don’t want to continue in the business.”

For example, some people thrive on networking and building connections. Others prefer problem solving and building technical solutions.

“You have to focus on both and carve out time for both. They’re both vital to building a business that can make money.”