How do I delegate? Six tips on how to delegate like a pro as a new business owner.

Learn more about how you can delegate in your business, because (spoiler) it doesn't come naturally for the majority of us!

So many clients a) put off coming to us because they just don't know how to delegate (often subconsciously) or b) know they'd like to delegate, but get stuck on what tasks to delegate, and how to even delegate them.

Do not fear, a recent study by Forbes showed that only 10% of managers are good at delegating. This is because delegation is a skill that takes time to learn, we're not just born with it, sadly. It can be even more daunting as a new business owner, along with all the other stuff you need to learn when running a business.

Saying that, I thought writing a blog on how to delegate effectively might be the answer, as it's a problem we work through with clients a lot, but we always get there! Delegating isn't half as hard as you think.

Why should I delegate?

Let's keep it short and simple.

CEOs who delegate the right way see company growth of 1751%.

Or, here's another one...

Business owners who delegate tasks effectively can see 33% higher revenue.

So, let's get straight to how you can do the same via delegation!

1. Understand what it is you need to delegate

Before trying to run before you can even walk, you need to know what you should be delegating.

There isn't a one-size fits all answer here, because it truly depends on you, and what you want off your plate. Sometimes people know straight away - it's common to delegate tasks you shouldn't be doing, can't do, or simply don't want to do. Hate emails? Outsource them. Hate client onboarding? Outsource it. Hate invoicing? Outsource it.

But sometimes, you might not even know. This is where time tracking comes in.

If you're only tracking time for billable tasks, you're doing it all wrong. You need to know where all of your time is going, so you know what tasks you're wasting your valuable skillset on.

I can't recommend Toggl enough for this. It's free, so easy to use, and you can categorise tasks by projects and tags, and generate daily, weekly and monthly tasks to understand what you're spending time on. You can even do this with their free version, but if you'd like to talk money, you can up to their paid version where you enter your billable rate. This one really hurts, because you can truly see how much money you're losing by doing your own admin.

I use the free version, and simply have a "Non-Billable Business Admin" project that I categorise all tasks that I need to do for the business. Think invoicing, speaking with new enquiries, onboarding new clients, social media and marketing - these are all categorised as non-billable.

At the end of the month I ask Toggl to produce a time report, enter my non-billable time and tasks into a spreadsheet, and calculate what the time spent on non-billable pulls down my actual hourly rate to. This is a great kick to force you to delegate!

This also really helps if you currently have no idea what to delegate. I recommend trialling this method for a month, and at the end, you'll be able to see what tasks are leaching your time, without a very big return. You'll then know what you need to delegate.

2. Create Standard Operating Procedures

Before dipping your toe into delegating, it's worth creating documented Standard Operating Procedures, because this whole process will reassure you that the tasks at hand can in fact be delegated, with the right, thorough instructions you're going to create.

It's important to make these generic, and not specific to the person you plan to delegate to. The whole point of this is to create a document that you are reassured you can hand over to anyone, so if delegating doesn't go right the first time, you can jump straight back onto the horse and go again with someone new.

These don't need to be intense documents. Simple one-pagers are often the most effective. My personal favourite is using Loom Screen Recorder, because I can screenshare and actually show what I'm doing. This is particularly handy if you'd like to train someone up on company software. It's also ideal for the delegatee, because they can rewatch this over and over again without needing to ask too many questions. You can also send this to as many people as you like.

3. Delegate to the right person

Delegating to the wrong person is the correct way to make you never want to dip your toe in the delegation water again.

To do this, you need a good understanding of the exact tasks you'd like to delegate (which if you followed step 1, you're good to go!), and understand whose strengths best align with that.

There are numerous virtual assistants out there that specialise specifically for your business: education, hospitality, law, property - you name it, it's out there. So if you think you won't be able to find one that is a pro at the tasks you need help with, you've not looked hard enough!

You can find virtual assistants on the Society of Virtual Assistant's website, where listees must apply with the code of conduct. LinkedIn is also a great way to find your better business half.

It's always worth checking their reviews too, so you know the proof is in the jam pudding. You can see our reviews here, feel free to reach out!

4. Start off small and slow

A sure fire way to terrify yourself with delegation is to give a huge task out first go, and one with high odds. Let's not do this.

Almost all of our clients start off slow with us - in terms of hours and tasks, because they want to trial us and be confident it's the right fit before giving us bigger jobs. We wouldn't want this any other way and always recommend this.

Start by providing small tasks so you can build your trust up in the person you're delegating to. Things like organising files, responding to emails with a template you've provided, uploading pages to your website etc. What a small task is will really be defined by you, and you'll already have a few in mind when reading this.

Start slow, and in a few weeks you can ramp up more when you've built the trust, and your anti-delegation wall is starting to come down.

5. Regular check-ins

When first delegating, we don't recommend handing over a task, and reviewing when it's complete. This might work out fine, but if it doesn't, it'll make you retreat even further into your anti-delegation shell.

Instead, provide the first part of the task, check-in with your delegatee, and ensure progress is happening as you'd expect it to. You can iron out any questions or queries here, and this makes the project much more likely to succeed.

It also helps you build a relationship with your delegatee, because you're speaking to them and showing that you're open to questions, fostering trust.

6. Let go of perfectionism

This one might not be so easy, but it's a really important one.

Believe it or not, there is more than one right way to do something - it's not just your way. When you delegate, that person will not do the task exactly how you would do it. They'll likely end up with the same result, if not better, but it won't be exactly the same as how you operate, which is the exciting part.

In order to delegate effectively, you need to understand this before starting. Have an open mind - you might even learn better ways on how to do things, as you're likely delegating to someone who enjoys the tasks you want off your desk!

Conclusion

Ready to finally delegate? I think I just heard your business let out a massive sigh of relief...

Get in touch with us to organise your free 30-minute consultation call via our contact form here. Or if you prefer, contact Ellie on elliehogarty@jamvirtualsupport.co.uk