While we can’t be doing everything ourselves, there are certainly things we never want to allow others to do for us, even though finding a way to make it efficient may be part of why you became an entrepreneur. Delegating these things may disconnect you from your brand and make you lose a pulse on the well being of your company. Things like branding, strategic values, culture creation and talent hiring should always stay within your immediate reach. There are, however, 10 things you should be giving away eagerly to your team.
Website Management: It may seem cool to constantly post updated content on your site or new products you have for sale. Allow others to do these tedious tasks. Once content is created and a structure is in place, the actual updating of your website should be done by your team.
Bookkeeping: A task that can take forever and require you to go back and forth between accounts, invoices, receipts and so much more, needs to be completed by someone elses doing. Bookkeeping takes too long, and can drag on forever. Allow others to take on these tasks and simply get updated by a monthly summary report. This way you can keep a pulse on your business without trying to figure out if you can squeeze in extra deductions.
Reports: The act of reporting itself is very boring and does not get you closer to your goals as it a reactive task similar to bookkeeping that is a reconciliation of the past, not future. Since the act of creating reports only tells a story that you have already experienced first hand, it is best to spend your times looking ahead instead.
Research: Nothing more fun than spending hours and hours doing basic Google research. Having correct intel for your business may be key and perhaps should be done daily, but the act itself of Googling is one that many 8 years olds can now undertake on their own. Believe it or not, you won’t make it in business long if you spend your precious time doing what you can get an 8 year old to do free for you.
Responding to day-to-day inquiries or emails: Who doesn’t love 200+ emails a day? Answering emails allows you to keep a pulse of what the general noise is out there about your business but its can also be something that consumes 30% of your day. Have a great system and decide what people should forward you and what they should take in their own hands to respond to.
IT issues and maintenance: Need a WordPress upgrade or simply need to update security on your site? Even if you are an IT expert, we recommend you delegate that too and stay focused on growing, not wasting your time doing the black and white tasks you can pay others for.
1st and 2nd tier customer issues: Customer service is always key to doing good business, especially when you are a new entrepreneur. While creating a great service culture can never be delegated, handling the 1 and 2nd emails regarding service can be. Make sure that you place a three-strike policy in place so that if your staff cannot handle the issue in 2 emails, you become connected to the issue and help resolve it.
Banking: Running back and forth to the bank, collecting receipts, statements or depositing money can be done by others. While you may want to exercise caution as to who you give this to, you must let go of the idea that you and you alone controls the money. You should control making it, not managing it.
Invoicing: The sweet taste of victory knowing you won a new client. While you could spend an hour preparing the most perfect invoice, simply allow others to do that for you. Just make sure that if you do, you are able to clearly communicate any special requirements or instructions while you delegate.
Routine tasks: Lets face it, your role as an entrepreneur is to grow and guide your business or venture towards success. Anything you do on a daily basis that can be explained and understood by someone else should be delegated. There are certain skills that make you talented and unique at what you do that no one can replicate and those are the daily skills you need to be applying. Whatever you do that requires the uniqueness that makes you YOU, is what you shouldn’t delegate and focus on doing every day.
