How to Know When to Delegate as a Sole Business Owner
Allocating work to freelancers or colleagues can free up your time, so you can do what you do best
Tired of working on your business, not in it? Spending too long on admin and not with your clients? Then it sounds like it’s time to delegate some tasks so you can get back to doing what you enjoy the most. It can be hard to hand over tasks when you’re the sole owner of a business, though, as there’s a constant fear that the work won’t be up to your standard. “Being a perfectionist is part of the job, so delegating is hard,” says Brooke Copp-Barton of Home Interior Design. “However, it’s good to have a network of like-minded designers to call upon.”
The key is to know when and who you delegate to, while Josh Delane of The Wood Works also believes it’s about maximising your skills and utilising your time effectively. “As a sole owner, you may find that you’re a good all-rounder – you can win business, make beautiful furniture, fit it yourself, organise the invoicing and accounts. But, at some point, you will have to look at where you spend your time as there are only so many hours in the day!”
Here, we ask other small business owners why delegating is an important factor in achieving success and how to go about it effectively.
This story was written by the Houzz Industry Marketing team.
The key is to know when and who you delegate to, while Josh Delane of The Wood Works also believes it’s about maximising your skills and utilising your time effectively. “As a sole owner, you may find that you’re a good all-rounder – you can win business, make beautiful furniture, fit it yourself, organise the invoicing and accounts. But, at some point, you will have to look at where you spend your time as there are only so many hours in the day!”
Here, we ask other small business owners why delegating is an important factor in achieving success and how to go about it effectively.
This story was written by the Houzz Industry Marketing team.
Calculate your value
Are you spending time doing jobs you’re not getting paid for, such as working on your website or balancing your books? It pays to identify what your time is worth and how much more revenue you could be generating if you optimise your time more efficiently. “If you spend four hours per week doing admin and finance tasks, you can think about it as 20 extra hours of work per year where you could be out selling or making furniture,” says Delane.
Follow the easy steps of our downloadable Value of Your Time calculator and you’ll be able to work out the total hours spent on tasks that could have been delegated, and discover the additional earnings you could be making.
Are you spending time doing jobs you’re not getting paid for, such as working on your website or balancing your books? It pays to identify what your time is worth and how much more revenue you could be generating if you optimise your time more efficiently. “If you spend four hours per week doing admin and finance tasks, you can think about it as 20 extra hours of work per year where you could be out selling or making furniture,” says Delane.
Follow the easy steps of our downloadable Value of Your Time calculator and you’ll be able to work out the total hours spent on tasks that could have been delegated, and discover the additional earnings you could be making.
How and what to delegate
Before you entrust jobs to others, consider whether you will be able to work as many hours as you delegate, and if you will need to account for time spent training or managing. Will you realistically be able to take on more work if you delegate? And if you’re outsourcing a task, make sure the cost of the service is worth it.
Knowing what to delegate can be a minefield, but as long as you clearly articulate the desired outcome, and ensure you’re available for support at all stages, the process should be beneficial. Delane suggests, “as long as you’re confident that the sales are there and you have faith in your product, then you should definitely consider pushing forward and delegating tasks.”
Before you entrust jobs to others, consider whether you will be able to work as many hours as you delegate, and if you will need to account for time spent training or managing. Will you realistically be able to take on more work if you delegate? And if you’re outsourcing a task, make sure the cost of the service is worth it.
Knowing what to delegate can be a minefield, but as long as you clearly articulate the desired outcome, and ensure you’re available for support at all stages, the process should be beneficial. Delane suggests, “as long as you’re confident that the sales are there and you have faith in your product, then you should definitely consider pushing forward and delegating tasks.”
Stay in control
It’s important to keep track of the delegated work to maintain a level of control. Establish clear timelines and deadlines, and agree checkpoints at which you can review the progress of the work.
A clear briefing from the start on what’s expected and what the end goal is, will ensure every party is aware of what is expected. Also, be sure to only accept completed work at the standard you originally agreed. You don’t want to have to spend time redoing any of the work yourself.
Find more time-saving tips to stop admin jobs taking over
It’s important to keep track of the delegated work to maintain a level of control. Establish clear timelines and deadlines, and agree checkpoints at which you can review the progress of the work.
A clear briefing from the start on what’s expected and what the end goal is, will ensure every party is aware of what is expected. Also, be sure to only accept completed work at the standard you originally agreed. You don’t want to have to spend time redoing any of the work yourself.
Find more time-saving tips to stop admin jobs taking over
Reap the benefits of delegating
Initially, delegating may feel like a hassle, however once you have identified the tasks that could save you the most amount of time, the right people to do the job and how to delegate in the right way, you can largely expand the amount of work you deliver.
You should also get in the habit of complimenting colleagues or freelancers where credit is due, as this will build confidence on both sides, improving the next delegated task they are given.
Tell us…
Do you have any useful small-business tips? Share your ideas in the Comments.
This story was written by the Houzz Industry Marketing team.
Initially, delegating may feel like a hassle, however once you have identified the tasks that could save you the most amount of time, the right people to do the job and how to delegate in the right way, you can largely expand the amount of work you deliver.
You should also get in the habit of complimenting colleagues or freelancers where credit is due, as this will build confidence on both sides, improving the next delegated task they are given.
Tell us…
Do you have any useful small-business tips? Share your ideas in the Comments.
This story was written by the Houzz Industry Marketing team.
As a sole owner, it’s likely you put a lot of pressure on yourself to be the very best, working long, hard hours to succeed in your line of work. However, there’s a limited amount that you can do, and these limitations can often lead to stress and a sense that you’ve let people down.
Being able to share the load and delegate is a skill worth learning.
Lior Brosh, of Brosh Architects, says: “We all have the same 24 hours in a day and to make the best use of them is very important to any growing business. If you can’t delegate, you will find it extremely hard to grow.”
Check out Houzz Pro, our business management platform for designers and renovation professionals.