I interviewed one of my clients recently to try and establish at what point she realised that she needed some extra support for her business. The most interesting point she made was the decision time it took her to actually take the plunge and bring someone on board.
She had been running her own business and, like all of us, wanted to be in control of every aspect. When you have put all your time, effort and energy into something you are passionate about, it’s hard to start handing some of your responsibilities to someone you don’t know or trust.
‘What if that person makes a visible mistake and puts a client project at risk?’
It’s also hard to find the time to decide what aspect of the business to handover and to give the relevant training; time that you do not have in the first place!
For my client it was easier to carry on doing everything herself, at least she knew it would get done...eventually, even if other things had to suffer.
But, if you carry on running the business the same way you are now, trying to do everything yourself, it could be you that puts the client project at risk!
So, at what point do you realise that you need to find someone to help you?
· You are working in the evenings doing admin tasks
· You have no time for any business development to help grow your business
· Your personal to do list is increasing
· Your work life is taking over your personal life
· You don’t have time to negotiate with suppliers so you just accept their first proposal
· Your expenses are high as there is no time to research cheaper options
· You don’t have the time to do invoicing, which starts to affect your cash flow
· You are putting non fee earning but important tasks to the bottom of the pile
To start, focus on one part of your business that needs support instead of trying to hand over a number of things.
For my client it was to produce a social media plan, deliver it and monitor it on a daily basis, which she felt was critical for the growth of her business. By delegating, she immediately reduced her ‘to do list’ and supported her business development plan at the same time.
Knowing there is someone capable to help you and once you’ve established a good working relationship, you will feel a sense of relief and will have the confidence to delegate the next task.
And you never know – you, like my client, could have 20% of your working week back to focus on what really matters...generating new business and moving your business forward!
Remember, business support is flexible. You only use the support when the business requires it. You do not have to worry about keeping someone busy because they are on the payroll - you only pay for the time they work!
