By Marang Marekimane, founder of Business in Theory

Have you ever wondered why so many entrepreneurs refer to their businesses as their baby? I sometimes find myself having to ask the question: “does the baby ever grow into an adult?”

The point is that as long as you see your business as your baby, or as a small business, it may never grow. After-all, what mother wants to let go of their baby? Mom doesn’t let the baby wander off without worrying. Mom will lick her thumb to remove whatever is stuck to the baby’s face, irrespective of who is watching. If your mom is anything like my mom, she’ll introduce you as her “baby girl” even though you’re in your late 30s.

The bottom line is that if your business is your baby, then give it the life skills it needs to grow.

In the same way a mother nurtures a child and gives it the life skills it needs to grow up into a self-sufficient adult, you need to allow the business to grow. For it to grow, you need to let go of a few things. Viewing the business as your baby makes it difficult to let go. Most of the time you will hire someone or outsource the tasks you don’t like. You won’t be as mothering about how those tasks are done, you’re just happy you could hand them over.

Mothers that let go have confidence that their babies are equipped. That they can survive. So they recruit people they can trust to do the job, especially when they’re not looking. The same principle applies in business.

My advice in your startup business space – allow the baby to grow. Make sure the baby has the right support structure to get through the ups and downs to reach the adult stage. An adult you don’t have to babysit.

Marang Marekimane is the Founder and Chief Executive Office of Business In Theory, a South African company that assists entrepreneurs to formulate growth strategies and improve business processes. Marang also hosts workshops for entrepreneurs to define or review their business model and on how to implement and improve business processes. After spending more than a decade in the corporate sector working for major corporations such as Liberty, First National Bank (FNB) and Standard Bank, Marang now uses her knowledge and experience to articulate her insight of business development into turnkey solutions that improve the sustainability of small and medium enterprises.