3 Reasons to Delegate
Many business owners don’t know how to delegate tasks. Some may argue that business owners don’t trust because they are too stubborn or want to do everything all themselves. One excuse I’ve heard as a coach is, “I don’t have the money.” It takes me longer to train someone than it takes me. These are just excuses. Because they don’t realize the benefits, business owners are reluctant to delegate tasks. Business owners will begin to grow their businesses by hiring virtual assistants, part-time employees, and 1099 contractors to help them build their teams. Profits tend to grow when the business grows.
These are my three reasons business owners should delegate.
1. Your vision or idea is realized faster.
You don’t have to leave it on your desk, waiting for “someday.” You set a deadline for the completion of a task or project when you delegate it. Put on your business owner hat, and get rid of your worker bee bonnet. Leaders trust, monitor, and evaluate the work of their staff. They ultimately have to deliver the final product. The result will be done quicker and more accurately if you have a team of experts than if you were trying to do it all yourself. Remember that “someday” is never coming.
2. This saves time and money.
Sometimes the person delegating the task can finish it faster than you. This can save you both time and money. You can outsource tasks such as newsletter creation, social media marketing updates, and newsletter creation to a virtual assistant if you’re not an expert. If you don’t have the skills to design a three-tier wedding cake, you won’t attempt it. You could try it, but it won’t taste or look the same. You’ve all seen the Instagram photo of a tattoo with a person holding a photograph of an intricate design and the tattoo artist creating a tattoo that looks almost like a kindergartener. You get what you pay. Don’t be that person who is trying to do everything themselves. The person who won’t pay for website maintenance and creation, even if it is in a terrible state or is nonexistent, is another example. You should place a value on your personal time. Realize that you could have made thousands of dollars if you didn’t waste your time fixing your computer or updating your website. Instead, you should have hired an expert to fix it in an hour. Your time is your money. Respect your money and time. When you delegate tasks to an expert who can complete the job quicker and better, focus on the return-on-investment (ROI).
3. You will get more done.
You will be more productive if you delegate tasks to your team. You will complete more jobs each day. Your team will take care of the rest so you can concentrate on revenue-producing activities. You can delegate tasks such as mailing and writing, bookkeeping, social networking management, website updates, newsletter creation, and other lead-attraction strategies to your team. Charging office cleaning, shopping, running errands, and billing payments may be a good idea. My team includes several individuals who are all experts in their respective fields. One of them is a master at creating media releases and conducting research. One is responsible for my client service, which includes scheduling, following up, and sending invoices. In the past, I had a wonderful gal who visited my office once per month to help me organize and file.
After being in business for two years, I realized that I still had items on the original business opening day to complete. This was when I started delegating. These items were on my original business plan because I didn’t know how or wanted to do them. Unemployed, I hired a school teacher to help me. Within a few days, my to-do lists were complete.
Let me challenge you: Take a look at your to-do lists. What’s been there for a while now? What is the reason it’s there? Take a look at the piles around your office and on your desk. What could be the benefit of delegating some work? Would it make you less stressed? Would you feel less stressed? Take a look at your credit card and bank statements. Late fees were you charged because you couldn’t find or forgot a bill, and you paid it late. You should make a list of the things you want to delegate. Imagine how you would feel if the tasks on your trusted list were not required. You will feel relieved that these tasks are not your responsibility.
It is part of growing your company that you need to delegate. You can make a list of tasks and projects that you want to charge. Next, I’ll share some tips about how to hire a virtual assistant.
