Page 40 - The Indian EYE 082126

The Indian Eye
Business Strategy with Hirav Shah AUGUST 21, 2026 40

The 70-20-10 Formula — How to Split

Your Time Between Running, Growing, and

Transforming Your Business

studying competitors, and exploring
technology that could make the busi-
ness more efficient.
The formula should also be ad-
justed according to the stage of the
business. During a crisis or peak sea-
son, running the business may tempo-
rarily require more than 70% of your
attention. During a major expansion
or rebranding exercise, growth and
HIRAV SHAH transformation may require a larger
share. The objective is not to follow
ost business owners don’t the percentages mechanically, but to
fail because of lack of ef- ensure that none of the three areas is
Mfort. They fail because of consistently ignored.
poor time allocation. They spend too A useful monthly question is:
much time “running” the business “What did I do this month to run
and almost none on “growing” or Under the 70-20-10 formula, the owner would gradually delegate repetitive operational work to the present, grow the next, and cre-
“transforming” it. This is where the responsible team members ate the future?”
70-20-10 formula becomes practical. If you cannot identify meaning-
It is a simple framework: This is where strategy meets expansion. you will still matter 5 years from now. ful action in all three areas, your time
70% time on running, 20% on allocation needs correction.
Most businesses stagnate be-
The Real Problem:
growing, and 10% on transforming. cause they treat growth as “extra Misallocation of Time How to Apply This Practically
Let’s break this down in a struc-
tured way. work” instead of “core responsibil- In real scenarios, most entrepreneurs You don’t need to change every-
ity.” But in reality, growth is what operate like this: thing overnight. Start with structure.
What does 70% “Running the protects you from competition. • 90% Running • Step 1: Audit your current time
Business” actually mean? Think of it this way: • 10% Growth • Track one week honestly. Where is
This is your operational zone. • Running keeps revenue stable. • 0% Transformation your time going?
The daily engine. • Growth increases revenue poten- This creates: • Step 2: Block time intentionally
It includes: tial. • Burnout • 3.5 days → operations
• Managing teams Without this 20%, your business • Plateaued revenue • 1 day → growth
• Handling clients becomes predictable—and predict- • No innovation • Half day → transformation
• Delivering products or services able businesses are easy to disrupt. High dependency on the founder • Step 3: Protect transformation time
• Monitoring cash flow The most ignored 10% — The 70-20-10 formula corrects This is not optional. Treat it like
• Solving immediate problems “Transforming the Business” this imbalance. a board meeting with your future.
Without this 70%, your business
This is the highest leverage zone,
Final Perspective
collapses. But here is the risk: most yet the most neglected. What the 70-20-10 Formula Looks Like The formula is not about rigid
in Real Life
entrepreneurs get stuck here perma- Transformation includes: Imagine a business owner work- percentages. It is about disciplined
nently. • Rebranding ing 60 hours every week. Nearly 50 thinking.
As Hirav Shah often emphasizes,
“Execution keeps the business alive, • Business model changes hours are spent reviewing routine • If you only run the business, you
work, approving small expenses, an-
stay busy.
• Technology adoption
but it does not guarantee growth.” • Entering new industries swering staff questions, handling cus- • If you grow the business, you scale.
If you spend 90–100% of your
time here, you are not building a • Strategic pivots tomer complaints, and following up • If you transform the business, you
stay relevant.
This is where future relevance is
on payments. By the end of the week,
business. You are maintaining a sys- built. the owner is exhausted but has made The difference between aver-
tem.
Many leaders avoid this 10% little progress toward the company’s age businesses and category leaders
Why 20% must go into “Growing the because it feels uncomfortable. It re- future. is not effort. It is how they allocate
Business” quires thinking beyond current suc- The problem is not a shortage of time. It their attention.
Growth is not automatic. It is in- cess. But this is exactly where break- is a lack of delegation and priority. And in business, attention is strategy.
tentional. throughs happen. Under the 70-20-10 formula,
This 20% is where you: Again, from a strategic lens of- the owner would gradually delegate Hirav Shah is the Global Business
• Explore new markets ten highlighted by Hirav Shah: repetitive operational work to re- Strategist, Game Changer, and Author
• Build partnerships “Businesses don’t fail suddenly. sponsible team members. This would of 19+ books—trusted worldwide for
validating big decisions of entrepre-
• Strengthen marketing systems They become irrelevant slowly—be- create time for reviewing new sales neurs, sportsmen, and entertainers.
• Improve sales funnels cause transformation was ignored.” opportunities, improving customer
• Upskill yourself and your team That 10% is what decides whether retention, developing partnerships, Email : Business@hiravshah.com

www.TheIndianEYE.com