I hired my first monthly contractor in 2014. Up until that point, I’d hired contractors like web designers for one-off projects, but this was the first time I would be hiring someone who would be working for me on a monthly basis. It was my virtual assistant whose been with me every step of the way ever since.
In this time, I’ve had to learn a few lessons in delegation. Heck, I’m still learning lessons all the time! Here are some lessons in delegation I believe every business owner must learn eventually.
Lesson in Delegation #1: You can’t do everything by yourself.
It is impossible to run a business by yourself. I don’t care how talented you are or if you believe you’re a quick learner, if you think you don’t need help you’re going to sink faster than the Titanic.
This one of the most difficult lessons in delegation business owners must learn. Especially if you’re Type A (guilty), naturally take control of things (also guilty) and tend to take a bull by the horns in just about every area of your life (definitely guilty).
Don’t get me wrong, these are all wonderful qualities to have as a business owner, but if left unchecked it can also be your demise because you’ll be tempted to do everything yourself. This will only lead to burnout and stalled progress. Trust me on this one.
Lesson in Delegation #2: If you think you’re delegating enough, you probably aren’t.
As I was how my business performed in 2016, I noticed something. While I was definitely delegating some tasks, there were others I wasn’t delegating yet that were taking up my time.
I thought I was delegating enough, but if I was being completely honest with myself I realized how this simply wasn’t true. For example, I was still listening to my own podcast episodes and doing the majority of the transcription. I could have easily saved myself so much time by getting transcripts for my podcast done at $1 a minute and then converting the text into a blog post for SEO.
That way, instead of wasting an entire day on podcasting stuff which doesn’t necessarily lead to a payday yet, I cut the time in half. I suddenly free up a lot time I can use to prospect new clients.
Or, I noticed that I would naturally do tasks I could have easily asked my virtual assistant to do for me. Like upload some files or write an email. These little things add up over time, and before you know it you’re doing everything yourself again.
Lesson in Delegation #3: It’s not wasting money, it’s an investment.
You can’t talk about lessons in delegation without also talking about money. Reason being that delegating to others often costs money and people are afraid of that.
I was recently speaking with a coaching client who noticed she hated paying a contractor $5,000. Meanwhile, her business partner was like, “That $5,000 helped us earn $25,000.”
Investments are all about ROI. And delegating is no different. If I’m paying someone else to take stuff off my plate, I have more time to go earn more money. It’s the name of the game.
Final Thoughts
Take these lessons in delegation to heart as you build your business. They don’t always come easy, but they will make all the difference as you grow.
