The Power of Delegating - Unlocking Growth for Small Business Owners

If you truly want to build and grow your business, it is vital to learn the necessity of delegating. Learning and acknowledging your true strengths and weaknesses and effectively delegating tasks is essential for your business growth. As small business owners, we understand that money is everything. You spend countless hours pouring over our finances, reading books on efficiency, and buying and trying apps to streamline your company to turn a profit. Some work, most don’t. Why? Because with each new “method” someone has to learn how to use it effectively, and that someone is usually the owner. You simply can’t do it all.

Learn Your Limitations

So, you’re skilled in a particular area and decided to transform it into a business—fantastic! But do you know how to actually run a business? This question may seem harsh, but it’s a fundamental one. If the answer is “no,” it doesn’t mean you should give up, tail between your legs, and abandon your dreams. It simply means you’ve already surpassed many who fail to acknowledge this significant limitation.

Avoid Trying to “Do It All”

Consider sports as an analogy to running your business. How many people do you know in the sports world who can genuinely compete at a professional level in two or more sports?

Can you imagine Tiger Woods excelling as a professional baseball player just because both sports involve swinging a heavy object at a ball? The answer is a resounding NO. He’d be laughed out of both!

Similarly, when we try to monetize our passions and skills, why do we believe we must conquer the business end as well? The truth is, we can’t.

If you haven’t already read E-Myth:Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber, now is the time. If you have, read it again!

So many entrepreneurs have beaten their heads against walls, drained their resources, borrowed heavily, and ultimately shut down their businesses because they thought they could do it all. They believed they had to do it all, you know, to save money.

But just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Don’t “Dunning-Kruger” Your Business

The Dunning-Kruger effect was named after psychologists David Dunning and Justin Kruger. They discovered a cognitive bias that causes people to overestimate their knowledge or ability, particularly in areas with which they have little to no knowledge experience.

Let’s consider a real-life example. I had a friend with a small business who was proficient in math and had basic accounting knowledge. However, doing her own bookkeeping caused frustration and consumed unnecessary hours.

Eventually, she decided to hire a bookkeeper and was pleasantly surprised at the affordable cost. She had wrongly assumed that someone else would spend the same amount of time on her books as she did. The time, frustration, and money she saved were invaluable, allowing her to focus on what she excelled at.

Don’t fall into the trap of overestimating your abilities. Delegate tasks wisely.

How to ‘Have It All’

First, avoid comparing your business to large corporations. Remember, climbing a mountain takes more than one step. Instead, use corporate entities as goals to strive towards.

Second, study and analyze the teams of corporations you admire. This is where you’ll see the beauty and efficiency of delegating. Each team member possesses essential skills vital for the smooth functioning of the business, driving profitability.

Finally, identify what you truly enjoy doing in your business. If it’s no fun at all, you probably won’t do it well. If a particular task feels burdensome or if you’re juggling too many responsibilities, you risk dropping the ball.

Building a skilled, efficient team and developing your own leadership skills is a balanced recipe for success.

Embracing Delegation

Now that you understand the necessity of delegating, how do you start?

One effective and affordable solution is hiring a virtual assistant (VA). Virtual assistants can function as the modern-day versions of secretaries, handling those numerous small tasks that often consume your day. By freeing up valuable time each day, you can focus on those projects that grow your business.

Virtual assistants can also provide more specialized skills such as graphic design, social media management, marketing assistance, hiring, etc. Oftentimes, small business owners don’t need a full-time employee to do these tasks, so hiring a VA for smaller projects or part-time assistance can be both helpful and cost effective.

To learn more about how a virtual assistant can take the burden of doing it all off your plate, click HERE.

Final Thoughts

Remember, don’t let the weight of your entire operation rest solely on your shoulders. Learn to delegate effectively, embrace your limitations, and seek assistance where needed.

And you don’t have to run a huge enterprise to afford to outsource the tasks that cost you money by consuming your valuable time. Hiring a virtual assistant can be an affordable and efficient option. By doing so, you’ll unlock growth opportunities, achieve better work-life balance, and propel your business to new heights.

If you have any questions about how a virtual assistant can help you with your business, please feel free to contact us: Task Away Virtual Assistants