How to know if it’s time to delegate?
In the early days of your business as a solopreneur, you were the CEO – chief everything officer!!! You were the master of multi-tasking – like the circus performer spinning multiple plates in the air.
How did that work for you?
Did you feel on edge? Overwhelmed? Anxious?
Sigh…..
How do you know when it’s time to delegate? Or when it’s a luxury?
Here’s 3 rules…. See where you stand!
- Does it normally pay less than $20/hour?
It’s often difficult for us to admit, but as the CEO of our business, we have to value our time…. Not at $20 an hour but at hundreds of dollars – generally $200/hr ++++). So if there is a task you could delegate and pay someone $20/hr but you’re still doing it, you’re actually losing money!
Here’s an example:
- Running to the post office to ship a package
- Confirming appointments with clients
- Mowing the lawn
- Cleaning your toilets
While all of these activities aren’t business related, they are consuming your time. Freeing youself up for just a couple of hours a week enables you to use that time to build your business – work on big picture activities and actually be the CEO – chief executive officer!
- Is there a huge learning curve?
It’s true… there are things you just have to learn for your business: how to market; how to sell; how to review your P&L….. and eventually you will delegate those activities but FIRST you have to learn them.
Believe it or not, there are other activities that have a HUGE learning curve and YOU don’t have to learn them. For example, you don’t have to learn how to create or program your website in order to run your business – it’s just not a good use of your time. It’s hours invested that will just keep you doing something that’s not your ‘magic’.
If there’s a learning curve and it’s not part of your business in the future, delegate or outsource it from the beginning!
- Is it outside your skill set?
I could do my own bookkeeping. In fact, I took a university-level accounting course – I do know how to do it. However, I’m not an expert at it. I don’t know all the ins and outs of bookkeeping and I’m not patient or precise enough. It’s outside my skill set!!! So, one of the first tasks that I delegated was my bookkeeping.
One of the second tasks that I delegated was my house cleaning. A good friend of mine (Jayne Lowell) once told me “No successful business person cleans their own toilets”. Although it might not be outside of my skill set, delegating house cleaning gives me more free time to spend with friends and family!
What’s outside of your skill set that you can delegate or outsource?
As you start thinking about delegation, you’re taking the first steps towards becoming a real business owner…. A true CEO when you have people who support you in YOUR genius while they work in their genius!
What are you willing to delegate?
Did you miss these earlier articles on delegation?
- https://dianalidstone.com/blog/2019/07/02/oprah-doesnt-film-her-own-show/
- 3 Signs you NEED to delegate now in your business
Coming up next in this series:
6 Ways to Delegate without hiring a team member
Why you can’t afford NOT to delegate?
