Gates, for instance. Sure he's made a lot of money selling software, but he became the richest man in the world by selling shares in his business, Microsoft. Are you too involved in your business? Could you pick up the phone in the morning and say to whoever answered, You guys look after things. I'm taking three months off? If you're like the vast majority of business owners out there, the answer would definitely be no. On Not In It's for this very reason that you have to get yourself out of the day-to-day routine of the business. Stop working 9:00 till 5:00, doing the work of your business. It's like the carpenters that don't run their businesses. Instead, they spend all day using a hammer and nails, working in their business. Imagine that when you started your business, you built it in your mind first, and then you drew a picture on paper of what it would be like when it was finished. That's right. You've got to finish a business at some stage and have it ready for sale. As an example, imagine buying this book after I'd slapped together only an outline of each chapter, before I finished writing it. How much would you pay for it? Only a fraction of its full price. The same happens in business. People try to sell a business that hasn't been finished, so they're really only selling a. job. Of course, they'd only ever get a fraction of the price for it. When you've got the finished picture, then you go to work creating that business. That means working on the business, rather than just in the business. In fact, you're designing the business so it will run whether you're there or not. Then you've got choice, and choice to me equates to freedom. You can keep the business, or you can sell it. You can work in the business, or you can spend your time more creatively. 9