What does it really mean to be successful?

Jake Ballentine, founder of The Speakers, Authors, and Coaches Network, knows that success isn’t always easy to define. In fact, Jake says that many entrepreneurs get to a place where they feel like they’re successful, but really, it’s just a step up from their previous job or status.

Some business owners are fully content with a modicum of success – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but others want more. Jake has important advice for business owners who are ready to take it to the next level:

“We think, well, I did this to get here, so now I should just do that harder! And that’s where entrepreneurial burnout comes in. Because what got you here won’t get you there. You need to start thinking differently so that you can get to that next level.”

So, how do you change your mindset to achieve a higher level of success? It starts with figuring out what and how you’re going to scale.

After all, Jake reminds us that there are only 24 hours in a day, and even the most driven business owner has to sleep sometimes! You can’t scale EVERYTHING at once, so you have to choose which area of your business to focus your growth on:

• Marketing
• Sales
• Fulfillment of products or services
• Admin

Next, you’ve got to decide how you’re going scale – and that usually means hiring more people. That can be the hardest part for many entrepreneurs!

Business owners are notorious for having the “nobody can do it like I can” mindset, and that only holds your business back. Instead of helping your business grow, you’re creating a bottleneck where every task and decision has to run through you.

That’s no way to a grow a business! Your team is counting on you to be the visionary that takes them to the top. If you’re still holding on to tasks that you know you should delegate, remember Jake’s wise words:

“You as the entrepreneur, your real value is taking the time to be creative – to create things, to make things, to have new ideas.”

When you can step back, determine how much you want or need to handle, and hand off the rest to other people, you give your business the opportunity for real growth.

“That’s what we want to have happen. We want you to get where you can walk away, and the machine is still operating. That’s when you’re no longer a self-employed person – you’re now a business owner.”

For more great advice from Jake Ballentine, check out this episode of Building Your Empire with SophieZo. Then, since you’re already on your favorite podcast platform, check out Jake’s Mountain Top Motivation podcast on Apple, Spotify, or at http://www.mtmsuccess.com/