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Business success is dependent on a solid financial foundation & success looks different to everyone & there is a lack of equity of access to resources and information for small business owners and independent contractors & there is a societal narrative making us believe “balance” is our ultimate goal & … There are so many “&”s that impact being your own boss. Let’s have some frank discussions on the basics of business with a holistic focus on everything that helps business owners define and find success.
Molly 0:08
Welcome to the Ambiguous &: Business Basics and Beyond, the podcast where we have frank discussions on the basics of business with a holistic focus on everything that helps business owners define and find success. Each episode is a reminder that success isn't one thing, it's a whole lot of ambiguous ands. Like, subscribe or follow and let's explore these ambiguous ands.
Molly 0:35
Hello and welcome to the Ambiguous &: Business Basics and Beyond. I'm your host, Molly Beyer, and I'm here to lead you through frank and holistic conversations on the basics of business. All business owners and managers, even solopreneurs, need to delegate in order to be effective, even if it's only contracting out services like bookkeeping or hiring a virtual assistant or bringing in a subcontractor every now and then to help lighten the load, being able to free up your time to handle what's most important is necessary. We've talked before about time management and focusing on your zone of genius, and one of the best ways to do that is to delegate. And now I say this like I'm some kind of delegation guru. And let me tell you, I'm not. I am not the queen of delegation. In fact, through the years of glowing performance reviews, promotions and leadership roles in multiple industries, the thing that consistently held me back was my inability to delegate. I am, or maybe was, or more accurately, am, in recovery from being a control freak. If I can do it better and faster, I generally will, even if it's to my own detriment, which, let's be honest, it often is, and that mindset causes a lot of problems. It burns me out. It doesn't allow others to excel, and it creates a chaotic and often negative environment, even if unintentionally. I learned this lesson the hard way. Here's a story from my life. We'll call this the bathroom lesson. Now, one of my mentors from my restaurant management days asked me somewhat pointedly one day, why are you cleaning the bathrooms right now? And I was really caught off guard. I was actually quite offended. I'd been the minimum wage staff member doing the dirty work and cleaning the things no one else wanted to touch. And I didn't want to be that kind of manager, you know, the kind that just passed off the worst jobs and barked orders from the sidelines. But I'd really missed the point, because yes, I was faster and probably better at it, and yes, I did care deeply about cleanliness and customer experience, but I was also working 80 hours a week. I was salaried. They were hourly, and I was doing work that could and should be passed off. I was robbing my team of the ability to learn, improve and take ownership, and I was robbing myself of time to rest and the ability to actually manage. Delegating isn't about power trips or laziness. It's about effectiveness and impact. It's about trusting others to step up and allowing yourself to step back. Fast forward to today as a business owner, I still wrestle with delegation, especially as I move further into business development and less direct client work. Now, when I look at my task list, I try to ask myself three layers of questions, what's the 20% of my work that only I can do? Then within that 20%, what's the 20% that is really mine? And then what am I still holding on to out of habit, fear or perfectionism? And sometimes the answers surprise me. Sometimes it frustrates me, but always it helps me begin the process of getting honest and then getting help. Here's the thing, delegation is not tossing a task to someone else and hoping for the best. It is a thoughtful, strategic process, and it starts with asking better questions. We need to look at three areas. We need to look at the task, we need to look at the delegatee, the person who it's going to and we need to look at the delegation process itself. So regarding the task, we need to ask ourselves, is this task truly critical, or can it be handed off without risking the big picture? Is it straightforward, or does it require specialized knowledge? Is there a clear deadline, and can someone realistically meet that deadline? Will delegating this free me up to work on higher value things? Do I have a documented process? Or can I quickly create one that supports this task and one that often goes overlooked? Is this a whole task? Or are there sub tasks inside that I could delegate? For example, maybe I need to write a blog post, but I could outsource the research, the editing, the uploading or the SEO tagging. Delegation doesn't have to be all or nothing. You can start small, chunk things out and build trust one piece at a time.
Molly 5:11
Now, regarding the delegatee, this is about matching the right task to the right person. So some things we want to ask, do they have the skills and experience to succeed? Do they have the bandwidth, the time and the tools? Are they motivated? Do they want to take this on? Does this align with their goals and strengths? Could it be an opportunity for them to grow? One of the best gifts you can give to someone on your team, whether it's a contractor, an employee or a collaborator, is meaningful responsibility that supports their growth and shows your trust. Now regarding the delegation process, here is where most delegation falls apart. It's not in the doing, it's in the handoff. So we want to ask ourselves, have I clearly explained the task, the expectations and what success looks like? Have I provided everything they need, the tools, the access, the background, the support? Have I set up a way for them to check in or ask questions? Am I available for support without micromanaging, and am I prepared to give thoughtful feedback at the end, whether good or bad, to help them improve and feel seen? And it's not about perfection, it's about creating a process that works and refining as you go. And let's get real for a minute here. One of the hardest parts about delegation is the ego hit. We think to ourselves, what if they mess it up? What if they do it differently than I would? What if it doesn't feel perfect? So here's what I've learned. Done and done consistently beats perfect every time, and sometimes someone else brings a better idea to the table, but we'd never know unless we let go. It's also okay to feel nervous about delegation. It's okay to want to control but it's not okay to let those feelings stunt your growth or your team's growth. If you're a solopreneur, maybe your first delegation is outsourcing your bookkeeping or having a virtual assistant manager calendar. If you're a growing team, maybe it's trusting a junior employee with client communication or letting someone else lead a meeting. And if you're already managing others, maybe it's time to truly let go of a department or a function and focus on vision, leadership and sustainability. Wherever you are, start with one thing, one task, one conversation, one moment of trust, and then build on it, because delegation at its core is not just about getting help, it's about creating capacity for yourself, for others, and for the business to grow. If you're in that place of overwhelm, exhaustion or trying to do it all yourself, know that you're not alone. Start small. Ask the right questions. Be kind to yourself in the process, and remember you don't have to do it all to be successful. You just have to do what only you can do, and trust that others will do the rest. Thanks again for hanging out with us today. We'd love to hear your feedback on today's episode, as well as any requests for future content. Drop a comment or suggestion and join us next time for more frank and holistic conversations on the basics of business. Please also like, subscribe or follow so you never miss an episode, and until next time. I'm Molly Beyer, and this has been The Ambiguous &: Business Basics and Beyond. Have a wonderful day.