Key Takeaways
- Starting a business takes a lot of time and energy and can feel overwhelming.
- Build a trusted team of employees so you can delegate with confidence.
- Rely on their skills, create assignments and monitor progress, while using the time you save to focus on high-level tasks.
Vince Lombardi, one of the winningest coaches in National Football League history, was once asked the biggest reason for his success. He purportedly answered with a single word – teamwork.
Starting a business can be overwhelming and it may feel like you have to do everything yourself. The word “multitasking” has become a badge of honor, indicating that a business owner can juggle many responsibilities at once.
However, research indicates that multitasking may actually be less efficient because it takes more time to shift your attention between tasks.
Delegation is Key to Productivity
No one can be good at everything and running a small business requires many areas of skill and expertise. There are a finite number of hours in the day and to run a business efficiently you have to delegate, especially when:
- You don’t have expertise in certain areas.
- You need more time to focus on everyday business tasks.
- You want to expand your business and add more resources as you go.
Whether you hire employees or outsource some tasks, building a trusted team around you will allow you to be more productive and do what you do best – run your business.
Callout Quote
“No matter how brilliant your mind or strategy, if you’re playing a solo game, you’ll always lose out to a team.”
- Reid Hoffman
Delegating Doesn’t Mean Giving Up Control
While delegating responsibilities may feel uncomfortable, there are ways to ease into this transition and continue to monitor the process and outcome of each task. Here are a few ideas:
- Learn your employees’ strengths and weaknesses so you can delegate effectively.
- Put checks and balances in place and relax control over time.
- Discuss timelines and deadlines.
- Take time to review all submitted work.
- Make adjustments as necessary.
Tasks You Should Delegate
Here are things to consider entrusting to your team.
Accounting
For basic financial tasks that require daily attention, a bookkeeper or accountant can be valuable. This also applies to tax preparation. Delegating these important and time-consuming jobs doesn’t mean you are giving away control – you’ll just have more time to focus on all aspects of your business.
Legal
From writing vendor contracts to renewing business licenses to recovering unpaid invoices, it’s important to have a lawyer or legal team to depend on. While websites such as LegalZoom.com can help you with basic paperwork and legal transactions, it’s helpful to have legal counsel that knows your firm and understands your industry to protect your interests and investments.
Callout Quote
“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.”
- Booker T. Washington
Information Technology (IT) Support
You don’t have time to solve computer crashes, printer issues and WiFi connection problems. Whether you hire a tech professional or outsource IT, reliable tech support is essential to your company’s productivity. A reliable tech support professional will also ensure you are up to date with the latest technologies and help you plan for the future.
Website Design
Your website is the face of your business and the hub of your brand. A professionally developed website design for small business is well worth the investment. Web.com offers both custom website design services and “make it yourself” website builder tools that make it easy and affordable to create a site that conveys the unique benefits of your brand and attracts customers. We’ll collaborate with you to ensure you’re satisfied with every step of the process.
Social Media
Social media marketing for small business allows you to speak directly to your customers, keep them updated about your business and give them reasons to visit your website. With everything you have to do every day, you don’t have time to consistently post on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. A social media expert can design a content calendar and create impactful posts that reach your followers. Web.com’s small business social media services provide you with custom marketing strategies focused on your target customer base.
Content Writing
Content is the voice of your brand. Although you know your business better than anyone, it’s hard to find the time to create all of the content marketing for small business you need. An experienced content writing team can produce blog posts and articles with search engine optimization (SEO) keywords that help your business to be prominently featured on Google and Bing searches and attract more customers to your website. You’ll also benefit from detailed product and service descriptions that inform customers and inspire action.
Callout Quote
“It’s amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”
- Harry S. Truman
Teamwork = Productivity
Building a team you trust helps you be more productive and focus on running your business. After partnering with over three million companies, we’re ready to be a trusted member of your team. Count on us to help you be the kind of leader people love working for.
Products mentioned in this blog post include:
Image credit: Unsplash/Amy Hirshi
