Working "in" the business

The notion of working on your business and not in your business is about 5 years old. ATI always wanted us to do this. I've beaten the shit out of the service manager, so I could be working "on" the business and lost a few good ones along the way. In the family tire store it’s the owners job to bring in customers and the service manager to make relationships and the techs do what they’re good at. Why do most owners avoid the counter? For the family model to work, the owners need to be on the counter, and generating referral business, not in an office working “on” the business.