As your small business grows, you may wonder how to delegate services to others effectively. Whether you are delegating tasks to employees or subcontractors, there are some things you should know as a small business owner.
Topics
- How to find the right person to delegate tasks for your small business?
- Tasks to do BEFORE Delegating Work
- Other Tips about Delegating Tasks
- Delegate any task that you do not need to be directly connected to in any part of the process.
- Eliminate tasks that are both easy and time-consuming, and that can be easily explained.
- Not all the unpleasant tasks can be delegated.
- Learn to release some control over your tasks.
- Acknowledge the work the person is doing.
However, before we delve into the tips, let’s discuss how to identify the right person.
How to find the right person to delegate tasks for your small business?
Taking the time and interviewing more than one person is essential. You may be in a rush and don’t want to spend a lot of time on this process. But you should! It’s critical to know who is available to help you and your business effectively. Make the time to place ads on the platforms that your target audience would be visiting.
Do they have referrals that you can contact? If so, contact them and get some detailed examples of what they did for their client.
Additionally, discussing the detailed process of what needs to be done before hiring a person. This allows them to understand your need for communication and openness. Everyone likes to say they can do something. But can they?
Creating a list of questions to ask them that are specific to your tasks at hand will give both you and them more transparent communication on what is required of them.
Ask other small business owners. People love to share their finds. They may have a bookkeeper they love or a payroll company that has served them well. Those are the people you want to get.
Don’t hire them yet. Now it’s time to determine the tasks you want to assign to that person.
Tasks to do BEFORE Delegating Work
Know what you want to delegate. Determine how much time you waste in your day. Are there areas that you don’t want to do because 1. you don’t know how to do it efficiently, or 2. it takes you a long time to do it? Create a checklist (Affiliate Link) that includes all the necessary steps. Visit our post called “How to create a checklist or procedure list to improve productivity in your business” for step-by-step instructions on how to make this procedure list.
Note: After they complete the task for a while, you can then have them contribute to the instructions to make them more efficient.
If you are unsure about what to delegate, below are some examples of tasks for different people to assist you with.
25 Virtual Assistant Tasks That Can Help Your Small Business
Six Ways a Professional Organizer can Help Your Small Business
10 Ways a Bookkeeper Can Help a Business
Now that you have some concrete, step-by-step tasks that you want to delegate, consider the following additional tips.
Other Tips about Delegating Tasks
Delegate any task that you do not need to be directly connected to in any part of the process.
If you only want reports that are clean and ready to be reviewed and presented, you can delegate the layout design to someone else.
Eliminate tasks that are both easy and time-consuming, and that can be easily explained.
Take a look at the tasks you do that just waste time. Some examples include posting on social media and updating transactions that have cleared from your bank account. All these tasks are essential, but do not need to be done by you.
Not all the unpleasant tasks can be delegated.
Measure the importance of the job and determine if it is connected to other tasks that you will keep. If you prefer not to make your own deposits, you may not want someone else to handle this task, as it involves depositing money.
Learn to release some control over your tasks.
As small business owners, we often want to do everything ourselves. But, at some point, something gets left behind. Recognize that you need someone to assist you. Allow someone else to take responsibility for the task. It may take them half the time it would take you to do the job.
Acknowledge the work the person is doing.
Follow up regularly with the person. Once a day, once a week, or once a month helps keep you connected with the person and the steps. And please let them know of any issues you may have. Eventually, you will trust them to do the work the way you want it done.
Remember that delegating doesn’t mean you can’t do the task. You can! But, you choose to do something more important. Remember, you are too important to your small business to do every single daily task.
Now, you should be ready to delegate to the person you choose. I hope this post helps you take the initiative and move forward in your delegating process. You deserve it.
What tasks do you like to delegate? I would love to hear from you. Please leave a comment below.
Below are some additional online posts that offer tips on delegating for small businesses. Feel free to visit them by clicking on the link.
How to Accomplish More by Doing Less Through Delegation
If you’re looking for administrative services, feel free to explore our services here. We are here to help owners take the busy out of their day! We would love to help you, too!
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