As women, it’s easy to say, “Oh, I’ll just do it” or “I’ll take care of it” and frankly, there are quite a few men out there that do that too; “Oh, it will take too long to teach you all the nuances of the business, so I’ll just take care of it myself.” But often, these business owners watch their businesses crash and fall after two years because they burn out. Administrative duties for a business are much larger than the business itself, and taking advantage of the importance of office management will be the undoing (and is the undoing) of many a business.
Recognizing that your services can be put to better use is the first step to delegating. I often say if you take what you charge an hour, and figure how much it would cost you to focus on admin as opposed to clients-that’s how much money you’re losing. Now, take that hourly and imagine someone else doing it, and it just makes sense to hire someone else to take over your office duties.
It takes a strong business person to understand what they can do, what they can’t do, and what is not worth their time doing. Also, chances are, someone else more qualified in that field will do the job more efficiently. That means giving your copy of Quickbooks to a competent bookkeeper instead of doing it yourself; handing over your Facebook and Twitter to a more qualified market focused writer, and offering up your Outlook to an experienced office manager.
It doesn’t make you less of a successful business owner to hand over the reins of your business. You are the coach-not the whole team, and shouldn’t be expected to be. You started your company because of your love of that particular field. Leave the management in more capable hands. In the end, you’ll actually save and make money (do the math, it’s true!), create a solid, secure business, and enjoy owning your business for a very long time!
