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View Full Version : How many hats do you wear in your business?



vangogh
08-14-2008, 06:16 PM
Out of curiosity how many different hats do you put on during an average week in order to run your business.

In a given week I might be:

designing a website
working on the development of a site
marketing a website
keeping the books for my business
blogging
researching new business ideas
networking with others
meeting with clients and peers
performing technical support for my office

to name a few things. What are some of the different things you do each week?

KristineS
08-14-2008, 08:21 PM
I don't own the business and my stated function has to do with Marketing, but I also wear a lot of different hats.

I sell
I updated web sites
I do a bit of web site design
I train customer service people
I update and handle inventory
I schedule hotel rooms an shipping for trade shows
I create plans for bringing new products and services to market
I develop pricing for new products and services

There's probably more but that's at least a sample.

vangogh
08-14-2008, 08:45 PM
Sometimes I wonder how we all manage to handle so many different things each day.

KristineS
08-14-2008, 09:23 PM
I kind of like it. I think I'd get bored if I did the same repetitive tasks every day. Even though it frustrates me at times, I like having a lot of different things on my plate. It is more challenging and interesting, at least for me.

vangogh
08-14-2008, 11:28 PM
I do too. There are certain things I enjoy doing more than others, but I do like the variety in general. I've worked jobs where I did the same thing all day and it made 8 hours feel like 20.

orion_joel
08-14-2008, 11:59 PM
I don't spend as much time on my business now as i used to but i still pretty much wear all the hats, such as

Invoicing , Ordering, Marketing (when i actually do it), sales, web development, client support, plus anything else that comes up.

I have managed to land in a similar place in the job i have, i was in a role that was that repetitive same thing all shift, but then about 2 weeks ago got a promotion which now see's me doing a part of anything up to half a dozen different things as needed.

I think getting variety in a job or business is much more important then many other things.

vangogh
08-15-2008, 02:23 AM
Variety is definitely good. One of the reasons I chose a career in web design is because I get to use both sides of my brain. The design part has me using the right side for creativity and the site development has me using the left and analytical side.

Blessed
08-15-2008, 11:36 PM
Let's see...

I blog
I design junk mail
I design billboards
I design stationary
I design other promotional collateral
I ask lots of questions my clients don't know the answers too - like who are your customers? so then I have to help them figure out the answers
I work on advertising campaigns for the shopper magazine
I sell advertising
I design ads for the shopper magazine
I design invitations and birth announcements for individuals
I plurk and twitter
Then there is the bookwork
and the data entry job
and school is starting again so I'm sure I'll be tutoring again too

oh and I change dirty diapers, fix healthy balanced meals, make sure my family has clean clothes, clean sheets and clean floors, read to the baby, apply for jobs for my hubby, run errands for my hubby, pay bills, clean kennels, bathe the baby, bathe the dog, and sew, scrapbook and drink lots of coffee.

No wonder I'm so tired :)
Good thing I like coffee!

vangogh
08-15-2008, 11:41 PM
That's a lot. I forgot to include forum posting here and at a webmaster forum and all the different social media sites I participate in.

Coffee, good.

Aaron Hats
08-16-2008, 09:07 PM
My staff consists of me, my wife and one part-time employee. My wife handles most internet orders and all visual merchandising. The part-time employee handles in-store customers and some internet orders. I handle most everything else with assistance from my wife.

Here's todays hat (actually a cap):

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b209/AaronHats2/TLS-FH8QAaron.jpg

vangogh
08-16-2008, 09:16 PM
I should have put your name in the thread title Aaron. While the rest of us wear many, many hats, you still have access to so many more than we do.

I also tend to wear baseball caps. I have four or five I switch back and forth, though I have my favorite one of two.