Having a business means more than making money and selling stuff, it also means a having a vision and this vision must include business continuity.有一个商业手段，多赚钱，卖的东西，这也意味着一具有远见和抱负，这必须包括业务连续性。 Be honest with yourself and try to answer the following question: How much time do you think that you will be able to run your own business?老实跟你和尝试回答以下问题：有多少时间做你认为你将能够运行自己的业务？ 10 years? 10年呢？ 20 years?二十年？ Maybe even 30 or more?也许，甚至30或更多？ What happens if you are no longer able to run the business?发生什么事如果你是不再能够经营业务？

This is why freeing up your day-to-day involvement in your business is vitally important.这就是为什么解放您的日常参与，在您的业务是非常重要的。 It allows you focus on only the important aspects of the business such as plan for future growth, investigate emerging opportunities, and seek out strategic business acquisitions.它允许你只集中于重要方面的业务，如计划为未来的增长，调查新出现的机会，并寻求战略业务的收购。

Being freed from the daily mundane business decisions is only the first step.正在摆脱日常世俗的商业决定，只是第一步。 What happens when you no longer want to or are unable to continue to running the business?发生什么事，当你不再想，或者无法继续运行的业务？ It’s never too late to start so start planning right now for a successor before that time comes.它的永远为时已晚开始，所以开始规划的权利，现在为继任者之前，时机成熟。

Succession planning for small business owners is always difficult, mostly because you don’t have that many choices to begin with.继任规划为小型企业业主是很困难的，主要是因为你没有很多的选择开始。 Most successful entrepreneurs are made and not born.最成功的企业家，并没有出生。 Thus, identifying a suitable candidate with potential entrepreneurial ability can be tough.因此，找出一个合适的人选与潜在的创业能力，可以强硬。 If you have three or four possible candidates to choose from you should feel very lucky.如果您有三个或四个可能的候选人中选择由你应该感到非常幸运。

The change of mindset from employee to employer is quite dramatic even though you might not be fully aware of it.改变心态，从雇员的雇主是非常戏剧化，即使您可能没有充分意识到这一点。 This is if you choose a successor from inside the company, which is strongly recommended.这是如果您选择的继任者，从公司内部，这是强烈建议。 Having a person from within the organization ensures the person understands the operations and the business.有一个人从内部组织，确保人理解的业务和业务。 Unless your business is a large multinational corporation, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to afford a highly paid professional CEO to take over.除非您的企业是一家大型跨国公司，它的可能性不大，您可以负担得起高薪专业的CEO接管。 Grooming a person from the inside also encourages your team members to prove themselves.培养一个人从内还鼓励您的团队成员，以证明自己。

Some business owners feel their son, daughter, or relative should take over to keep business within the family.一些企业主也感受到他们的儿子，女儿，或相对应接管，以保持业务的经营家庭内部。 While there is nothing wrong with selecting a family member, make sure the person you hand control of the business over to truly has the potential to take the business farther than you have.虽然是无可厚非的选择一名家庭成员，要确保你的人，一方面对企业的控制超过真正有可能采取的业务远超过你。 A business that doesn’t grow will die.企业不成长，会死。 Finding the most suitable candidate has more to do with ability rather than relation to the business owner.寻找最合适的人选已更多地与能力，而非关系到企业的所有者。 Understanding this one point is vital to getting a very talented individual to take over.了解这一点是非常重要的获得是一个很有才华的个别接管。 After all, the hard work that went into building the business would be wasted if the person selected ended running the business into the ground.毕竟，艰苦工作进入建设的企业将被浪费，如果人选结束运行的业务进入地面。

The change of perspective and mindset can be overwhelming for some.变化的角度和心态，可以压倒一些。 This is why it is never too early to start training the next leader.这就是为什么它从来不是太早开始训练未来的领袖。 The learning curve can be very difficult and you should always avoid making it too steep by taking your apprentice(s) and showing them the “ropes”.学习曲线可以是很困难的，你要始终避免过于陡峭的以您的学徒（ S ）和显示他们的“绳索” 。 Choosing more than one candidate will keep every candidate motivated to prove themselves.选择一个以上的候选人将保持每名候选人的动机，以证明自己。 The competition that results will enable you to select the best candidate.竞争的结果将让您选择的最佳人选。

What qualities should the potential successor have?什么样的品质应可能的继任者呢？ Some basic qualities they must have include confidence, high level of integrity, natural leadership abilities, friendly yet firm, courageous, and a clear understanding of how to prioritize multiple tasks.一些基本的素质，他们必须有包括有信心，有高水平的完整，自然的领导能力，友好但坚定，勇敢和清醒的认识，如何优先考虑多重任务。 A leader has the ability to see the big picture, make decisions quickly and have them acted upon. 1领导人有能力，看看大图片，迅速作出决定，并将它们付诸实施。 When everything is going smoothly these things are reasonably easy to achieve, but when things get rough and they will, a leader will truly be put to the test.当一切都顺利，这些东西是合理的容易做到，但是，当事情得到粗糙，他们会的一位领导人将真正受到考验。 To find out how good your potential successor really is put him or her to the test.找出如何好，您的潜在继任者真的是把他或她的考验。 Have them make tough choices and see how they respond.他们作出艰难的选择，看看他们如何回应。 Some examples are “Who do you think I should fire?一些例子是“谁，你觉得我应该火警？ X or Y?” Watch their response time and ask them to justify their reasons. x或y “ ？观赏他们的响应时间，并要求他们证明自己的理由。 If you see repeated hesitation, start searching somewhere else.如果您看到反复犹豫，开始搜索其他地方。 Good leaders make decisions quickly.良好的领导人很快作出决定。 If you see some dodgy answers like “I don’t see any reasons to fire any of them” ask for more explanation.如果你看到一些dodgy的答案一样， “我看不出有任何理由，任何火警，他们”要求更多的解释。 If he answers with a question, he might actually have some potential.如果他的答案与一个问题，他实际上可能有一些潜在的。 A true leader makes informed choices and never in haste.一个真正的领导人作出明智的选择，决不草率行事。

Another way of testing your candidate’s abilities are with questions like “Who do you think that is the best successor for this company?” He or she will probably pause to reflect before you hear the answer.另一种方法测试你的候选人的能力是与问题一样， “谁，你认为这是最好的继任者为这家公司？ ”他或她可能会暂停，以反映之前，你听到的答案。 Ideally he or she will take every reasonable candidate and under the pretext of discussing their strengths and weakness, it can actually show your candidate’s weaknesses.理想的他或她将采取一切合理的候选人和的借口下，讨论他们的长处和弱点，它其实可以显示您的候选人的弱点。 Tact, clarity of thoughts, and ability to express them effectively are some of those skills that you will never see in a resume, but are absolutely crucial for the leader of a successful company.机智，清晰的思考，表达能力，他们是有效的一些人的技能，你将再也看不到在一个恢复，但绝对是至关重要的领导人成功的公司。

Now that you have at least one possible candidate for the succession, it is wise to start working on changing the perspective from team player to team leader.现在，您都至少有一个可能的人选继承，这是明智的，开始工作就改变的角度来看，从球队的球员队长。 This means assigning tasks which require planning and decision making.这意味着，分配任务，需要规划和决策。 Take small steps and take everything they do subject to your evaluation without them knowing about it.采取小步骤，并采取一切，他们这样做受到您的评价，没有他们不知道有关情况。 They way they carry themselves is a sign of their confidence in handling their tasks.他们的方式进行，他们自己是一个迹象，他们的信心，在处理他们的任务。 Observe how they handle pressure, different people and problems.观察他们如何处理压力，不同的人，和问题。 Your candidates for succession should not get fazed by any of these.您的候选人继承不应该得到fazed由任何这些。

You should never tell him or her that you have chosen until the very last moment.您应该从未告诉他或她说，您所选择的，直到最后一刻。 This way you keep them motivated.通过这种方式，您让他们的动机。 Your choices and assignments should make them hope, but never be absolutely certain.您的选择权和转让应使他们希望，但永远不能绝对肯定。

This has been a simple guide to effective succession planning.这一直是一个简单的指南，有效的继任规划。 By no means is this a complete guide nor was it meant to be.绝非这是一个完整的指南，也不是它的意思。 If you are still stuck in the day-to-day operations of the business, make sure to focus your energies on freeing up your time to work on strategic aspects of business growth first.如果您仍一直停留在日常的运作业务，请务必把重点放在您的主要精力放在解放你的时间去工作，战略方面的业务增长第一次。 If you are past that stage and have difficulties with the critically important decision of selected a successor, seek professional advice from a business coach.如果你是过去的那个阶段，和有困难的极为重要的决定，选定的接班人，寻求专业意见，从业务教练。 Having an outsider from your business keeps decisions you make about your potential candidate honest and objective helping clarify your decisions for your business.有一个局外人，从您的业务不断的决定，您对您潜在候选，诚实和客观的帮助澄清您的决定，为您的企业。

Anthony Yap is a business coach and consultant to small to medium sized business owners who seek real-life methods to growing their business. 张炳良叶先生是一个商务教练和顾问的中小型企业主谁寻求现实生活的方法，日益他们的生意。 He is a Master Team Builder , master marketer, and business process expert. 他是一个主团队建设者 ，掌握营销，和业务流程专家。 Reprints of this article are permitted as long as links remain intact. 重印这篇文章的允许，只要链接保持不变。