5 Tips for Delegating as an Entrepreneur

As Solopreneurs, we’re used to doing a lot of things on our own. We start our business with the goal of doing that thing we LOVE and then we find, little by little, or sometimes all at once, that there are about a billion more things that go along with running a business.

As we tackle all the things we need to do in order for our business to run successfully, we start to get used to, like it or not, how we make it through our days and how we run our business.

And then we finally reach a point where we know we can no longer do it all on our own. It’s time for us to hire support and start handing off some of these tasks and projects that are taking us out of our Zone of Genius.

Yay!

But…

How? Where do we start? How do we share all the things running around in our CEO brains with someone who doesn’t know anything about our business? And, more importantly, how do we trust them? How do we trust that they will get the work done right, on time, and with the level of quality we’re used to bringing to the table.

In other words…

How do we delegate?

Yup, that’s what I’m here to talk about today. When you reach a point where you’re finally able (or willing) to bring on some help to clear your plate of the things that you are drowning in or simply don’t like doing, what are the best ways to hand these tasks off?

If you don’t yet know, I’ve been a manager in some form or another for the better part of twenty years. That means I’ve learned a little something about letting go of that pesky control and trusting others to get it done.

Additionally, I’ve also spent the better part of two decades supporting people like you in their business, so I know from the delegatee’s perspective what works for us too.

So here are my 5 tips to help you delegate!

Communicate

While this seems like a really obvious one, some people hire someone and say, “Can you just go take care of this?”

We can sure try, but the problem here is that we can’t read your mind — at least not right away.

Make sure that you articulate what you want the outcome of a task or project to be as clearly and as detailed as possible. This is especially important in the beginning of your relationship with an assistant or team member. It takes someone time to learn your voice and your style.

Ask them how they best receive information so you know how to share the details of the tasks in a way that they can understand.

If you are having a hard time articulating in writing what you want them to do, use a tool like Loom to record your screen and yourself talking so you can explain it in a way that works for both you and your support.

Give Feedback

While this is technically communication, it deserves a space of its own. Your support person or team cannot improve without you giving clear and honest feedback. Be patient. Let them know if you’re not happy with something they’ve done for you as well as when they’ve done something well. This helps them get to know you better and improve on their support for you.

If it’s hard to voice your feedback in writing and you need to show them or tell them what works and what doesn’t, again, use Loom or a similar tool. Or you can set up a meeting with them to explain it that way. Don’t underestimate the power of virtual in-person meetings.

Offering feedback and watching your support person improve helps build your trust in them and builds their confidence in their ability to support you the way you need.

Utilize Project Management Tools

When working with a support person or team, make sure to use some kind of project management (PM) tool to track projects and tasks. This allows you to quickly and easily assign a task, give details (including priority levels, due dates, video instructions if needed, etc.), and keep track of its progress, giving you the peace of mind to make letting go of control a little bit easier.

Choose a PM tool that works best for you and the way you process information. (Need help figuring out the best PM platform for you? Check out this previous blog post about choosing the right tools for your business.)

One simple, ready-to-go option is Asana. It’s free and functions like a to-do list, allowing you to easily assign tasks, be alerted of comments in the app, and receive notifications upon completion of tasks. My team and I have used this for years and it has worked so well for us.

Other tools that are known for their excellence are Monday.com and ClickUp. They both need a bit more time to get comfy with and to set up to best fit your business but work well once you get your system in place.

Not up for dealing with tech? You can always just use a spreadsheet to track tasks.

The point is create one place where you and your support can assign, review, and update projects and tasks to ensure you stay on the same page.

Know WHAT to Delegate

One of the hardest things about delegating is figuring out what to actually delegate. What are the things that you are doing in your business that you don’t need to be doing?

By default, I suggest that you spend most of your time on income-producing tasks. That means working directly with clients, creating course material, high-level networking — the things that most directly bring income into your business.

Everything else, whenever possible, should be delegated.

Track Your Time

Expanding on the tip above, what if you’re so caught up in your regular routine that it’s hard to tell what you are doing in your day that you don’t need to be doing?

Use a tool like Toggl and track everything you do with your time for a week so you can really learn where your time goes. Note when you check email and how long that takes; note when you’re in meetings; note when you’re spending time on social media; note when you’re troubleshooting issues with clients.

When you start to really break down where the hours (and minutes) in your day go, you can really start to see where a support person can take things off your plate. Then you can go back to focusing as much as possible on those income-producing tasks in your day.

It’s important to remember when delegating that it’s going to look different for different people. What works well for me, might not be a fit for you. But start with the tips I’ve listed above and find the tools and forms of communication that work best for you.

Most importantly, be patient. Learning to hand off parts of your business and trust someone you don’t yet know well is very challenging. Be patient with yourself in handing things off. Start small and give more and more as your trust in your support builds and as your sense of freedom to focus in your zone of genius grows.

If you have any questions about delegation to your team or feel like you’re ready for some help and want to talk to BizMagic about helping to clear your plate, contact us today!