If there’s one thing that many business owners, creatives, and entrepreneurs have in common, it’s their ability to wear a dozen hats and do everything that needs doing. 💪 And while it’s admirable, can we be honest for a second? It’s also exhausting. 😞
Many parts of your business need your attention and time, but folks often fall into the trap of thinking that everything about their business falls into that category. I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t and it shouldn’t.
Outsourcing is good business 😍
To be a savvy business owner, you have to be able to make what you’re doing sustainable. If you constantly try to do it all, I’m here to tell you (from personal experience 😅) that it won’t be sustainable at all, at least not in the long run. So do good business by letting others take some things off your plate!
If you’re not convinced, here are some reasons why delegating to others is the best thing you can do.
Just because you can do it all, doesn’t mean you should
Choosing to delegate something to another person doesn’t always come down to ability or talent. You may be incredibly good at handling your own accounting or writing all your email campaigns, but that doesn’t automatically mean that it’s the best use of your time.
Your business likely relies on your ability to do certain very specific things and do them well. There are tasks and responsibilities that lie at the very center of what you do. They require your time and energy, and they’re the things that will suffer if you have to let someone else do them for you. They should always be at the top of your priorities. As for the rest? Delegate what you can.
It may be helpful to remember that it’s not an admission of incompetence or defeat if you let someone else do a task.
The clock is ticking ⏱️
Unfortunately, no matter how great we get at what we do, none of us can add hours to the day. And if over 10 years in business has taught me anything, it’s that there will always be more to do than you can fit into a single day. 😅
It’s pretty common for people who work in office settings or at large companies to complain about micromanagers, those people above you on the corporate ladder who insist on involving themselves in everything you do, never trusting you to do your job. But I think small business owners and folks in smaller work settings can fall prey to a version of this as well, even if they’re the ones at the top of the ladder. If you feel the need to control every single aspect of your business, you’ve become your own micromanager and you’re bound to burn out eventually.
Identifying the tasks that have to be done, but not by you is a great way to reclaim some of your limited hours for the things that really need your attention.
There’s more to life than work 😌
For entrepreneurs and folks who decide to start their own business, things like hobbies, interests, and personal relationships can begin to feel like an interruption to the important stuff, but this mentality is a mistake. You may find an incredible amount of meaning and personal fulfillment in what you do for work, but it’s not the sum total of your life or who you are.
If there are things you used to love to do but you don’t do them anymore simply because there isn’t enough time, that’s a certain sign that you need to outsource some of your business tasks. Physical wellness, personal gratification, and being there for those you care about are important parts of building a meaningful life.
And, if you think back, having more time for those things was probably among the reasons why you decided to start your own business in the first place. 😅 That may have proven to be misguided—and that’s probably something we should be better about telling folks who are considering similar paths, but that’s another blog post entirely—but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still align your actions with those values.
What to consider outsourcing 🤔
Okay, so what if you want to outsource, but you’re just not sure where to start? Maybe it’s hard for you to imagine what aspects of your business would continue to function without you doing them. Or maybe you just don’t realize that there are folks out there who do certain tasks for others. Let’s take a look at some of the easy-to-implement outsourcing options.
Copywriting ✍️
In a modern world where, much of the time, our first impression is made via our websites, email, or even LinkedIn, having polished writing is more important than ever. Don’t let a grammar mistake or a clumsily worded sentence stand between you and your next client. Copywriters are professional writers, and many of them specialize in certain areas that can be a big boon to your business, such as website copy or email marketing.
Graphic or web design 🎨
Could you learn to use Adobe Illustrator? Sure. Do you have the time, though? 👀 Small business owners are used to learning things on the fly, but sometimes they don’t stop to consider if they have to. Instead of trying to figure out your graphic design needs for yourself (or asking your aunt’s friend’s college-age son 😅), hire a professional designer. I promise the results will be worth it, along with the boost professional branding and assets will have for your business.
IT services 💻
A modern business is bound to be using numerous technologies in its day-to-day operation, and we all know that technology doesn’t work perfectly 100% of the time. IT folks do more than ask, “Have you tried turning it off and back on again?” (although they may still do that as a first step 😂). Outsourcing your IT gives you peace of mind about security risks, as well as allowing someone else to fight with those annoying pieces of technology that never seem to do what you bought them to do. 😤
Social media 📱
Not every entrepreneur, creative, or small business owner wants to also be a social media influencer. But even if you don’t use it yourself, there’s no denying the marketing power of social media. A lot of folks force themselves to keep up with a social media presence, but nothing is worse than trying to create an upbeat, compelling social media post when you just really don’t care. So delegate your social accounts to someone else! There are folks who manage social media for a living, and they’re good at it. They probably enjoy it more than you would too. 😉
Finance 💵
While it’s entirely understandable to want to be hands-on about your business’ finances, there’s a lot of time that goes into managing that aspect of your business. There is also a lot of specialized knowledge that the ordinary person doesn’t know about tax code, benefits laws, and more. So do yourself (and your bank accounts) a favor and hire a bookkeeper and an accountant. No matter when you do this, you’ll wish you’d done it sooner. Trust me.
Efficiency planning 📈
If you’re like me, you love a good tool that can make your business run more efficiently. But what about finding a person who knows all about the world of efficiency planning and can take a look at everything you’re doing and make recommendations? 🤤 Having someone who can advise you on how to best leverage software, streamline your processes, and take your sales to the next level will transform your business.
Valerian, your outsourcing partner 🌿
The idea of doing what you do best and outsourcing the rest (to someone who does that thing best) is at the heart of how we do business.
Websites with Valerian
We get a lot of website clients who have tried to build their own website using a platform like Wix or Squarespace. They come to us because they’re tired, frustrated, and not sure how to make their dream website a reality.
Our website packages and add-ons allow you to delegate as much of the website process as possible. Of course, you’ll always have to help us understand your business, what you offer, and what sets you apart, but, for some of our clients, that’s where their responsibility stops and we take off. 🤩 From the copy that lives on each page of your site to the integrations and functionalities that make it work the way you want it to, we can handle it all.
If you’re looking for that kind of website experience, you can learn more about our website plans here.
White-label partnerships
The second side of our business is white-label partnerships for creative agencies; we pride ourselves in providing excellent hosting, support, and development services, often for agencies with booming businesses.
When your business experiences growth, it can be hard to keep up with everything that needs to be done, and not every business success means that there’s room in the budget for new hires. White-label partnerships are a great way to get the support you need to foster continued growth at a budget that may be a better fit.
Our Trusted Partners 👥
We can’t do it all, but we know folks who can! While we stick to websites and white-label partnerships, there are tons of other business services that we have needed over the years. We’ve acquired quite the network of awesome individuals and businesses, and we want to share them because we know the power a good referral can have for everyone involved!
Our Trusted Partner network, a group of vetted professionals from all sorts of specialties, lives on our website and is constantly being updated. Head over to the Greenhouse and check out our Trusted Partners where you can browse by category if you’ve got something in mind or take a look at the whole list and see what catches your eye.