How & What to Delegate

Do you cringe at the idea of delegating?

Delegation is not easy for most small business owners and entrepreneurs and we know why: you are used to kicking ass all by yourself. You are a superhero when it comes to handling anything and everything from creating your sales funnel to managing your social media. But as your business grows, you may find yourself overwhelmed by the massive amount of tasks piling up on your to do list. Maybe you’re even at that point already.

Delegating can be a powerful tool to have in your small biz toolkit, but oftentimes it’s not a skill that comes naturally. Giving up some control in your business can be downright scary, but if you’re overwhelmed by the mountain of work on your plate every day, delegation might be the solution you’ve been hoping and praying for.

Want to know how and what to delegate in your business? Keep reading!

The 3 Best Strategies to Learn How to Delegate

1. Understand Why You Need to Delegate

The first step in delegating some of your workload is knowing why you need to do it for your business. The one-man band strategy that you might have used as you were just kicking off your business might save you some cash, but it’s not an effective strategy to grow your business. You can’t have everything on your shoulders if you want to have enough time and energy to keep expanding your business, seeking out new opportunities, and getting more clients. You need to focus on what you’re best at.

2. Analyze your Needs

Now that you know you need to start delegating, it’s time to figure out which tasks you can move off your plate. Analyze your day-to-day needs and figure out which tasks are taking up a majority of your time. One of the best ways to do this is to track the time you spend on projects every day. You might be surprised at which tasks are sucking up a lot of your precious time.

Track your time for 3-4 days and run a report to see what tasks are taking up a majority of your time. Those time-sucking tasks are the ones you will want to consider delegating.

Pro Tip: Make a list of all the tasks currently on your plate. Literally every single task, don’t skip anything. Then separate them into four categories:

1.    Tasks that make you money
2.    Tasks that can only be done by you
3.    Tasks that you do not enjoy doing
4.    Everything else

A and B categories are items that you might want to consider keeping on your plate. but everything else should be delegated to someone you trust.

3. Explore your Options to Delegate

So you’ve made your list of tasks that you can potentially delegate to someone else, but now you’re wondering how you find this trusty sidekick. You need to explore your options and see what is right for your business. Most entrepreneurs and small business owners hire an employee or outsource to an external subcontractor such as an online business manager or a high-level virtual assistant.

7 Time-Sucking Tasks You Can Delegate Today

It’s no secret that some tasks are just time-suckers and would be better off handled by someone else so you can focus on growing your business. If you’re still stuck and feeling unsure on what to delegate, don’t stress over it! Here are our 7 best ideas for time-sucking tasks that you can delegate today.

1. Email Management

Many business owners get lost in their own inboxes for hours a day. Instead of wasting the time wading through spam and marketing messages that you’re not interested in, delegate this task to someone else who can clean up your inbox for you on the daily.

2. Social Media Marketing

If you’ve ever logged on to Facebook with the intent of checking on your business page, but find yourself watching cute puppy videos two hours later, you might want to consider delegating your social media marketing and engagement tasks. They can create the copy for your posts, find curated content that fits your brand, and engage with your following.

3. Web Design & Maintenance

Even a simple update to a web page can take up more time than it needs to when you’re living the life of a busy entrepreneur. Get a techie virtual assistant to help you manage your website efficiently and effectively.

4. Customer Service

In the digital age we live in, more and more consumers are buying online. Customer service is paramount to making sure your customers and clients have a great experience with your brand and keep coming back to you again and again. Having someone take this off your hands can be stress-relieving and time-saving!

5. Bookkeeping

Unless you were a finance major in college, keeping your financials in tip-top shape is probably one of the least fun aspects about your business. When you just don’t have the time to spend tracking your expenses, gathering your receipts, and managing your cash flow every week, having a sidekick on your team to delegate your bookkeeping to can be a lifesaver.

6. Travel Arrangements

If you travel for your business, making the flight, hotel, and rental car arrangements is something you can definitely delegate. Simply make a list of your preferences (Aisle seat or window seat? 5 star luxury hotel or budget hotel with good reviews?), send them over to your team, and sit back knowing everything will be taken care of for you.

7. Graphic Design and Advertising

Let’s be honest: you’re probably way too busy to sit around and play in Photoshop or Canva all day. Hand off your graphic design and advertising needs to open up some time on your schedule. They can handle the design of your collateral material including business cards, brochures, and stationery as well as your online design elements such as your Instagram graphics, website graphics, and more.

No matter how you decide to delegate or what tasks you move off your plate, delegation is the key to any successful business. Growing your business is made easier when you have the time and energy to focus on expanding rather than on all the little tasks that need to get done, but don’t necessarily move the needle. Ready to start delegating right now? Contact us today to see how we can be the savvy sidekicks to your awesome business.