I wrote earlier today about ways that we might be called upon to cope with and respond to special requests in our home businesses and how we can decide whether or not to grant those special requests. As I was writing that article, I realized that there are sometimes when indulging a request, or even finishing a work project, can just be far more trouble than it is worth. Running a business means learning how to decide when something is just too much trouble to work on.
Many of us have been taught that struggle and trial are good and that the best things take the most work. Sometimes this is true, however, when it comes to business operations—sometimes those trials and struggles just end up costing us more money than we make and take a toll on our time and resources. In business, it is important to weigh whether the outcome will be worth all the effort. This means looking at both the immediate strain and the long-term benefits.
Ask yourself, how much time will it take? Will there be many hoops to jump through and how many OTHER people will you have to work with or involve in order to make something happen? Is it required? For example, even though it is a headache, if you are required to have certain licenses or take care of zoning requirements, no matter how much trouble it is, it is something that needs to be done (or you can choose to have your business somewhere else). However, for something optional—or if you are evaluating whether or not to take on a project, if it appears that it will take more staff time, resources, expense, and effort than you can actually see paying off in the end, it might just be too much trouble.
Also: Temper Passion with Practicality