Top tips for outsourcing and growing your team

As a business owner, you are probably used to wearing multiple hats.

Managing ALL of the things can leave you super stressed and overwhelmed. At the same time, it might feel overwhelming to let others in to help. Often people are apprehensive about delegating tasks in their business. But there will come a point in your business where you cannot grow any further without delegating. Even if you’re good at the “behind-the-scenes” work, that doesn’t mean that’s the best use of your time.

Look at it in regards to your hourly rate. If your hourly rate is $200, and you’re doing tasks that someone would get paid $30 an hour to do, is that really something YOU should be handling? No! That is the prime example of something that can be delegated so that you can focus on the biggest items that your clients are paying $200/hour for you to manage.

But how can you go about delegating so that it:

A. It doesn't feel difficult to release tasks and

B. You release the right tasks at the right time.

Start with a task audit.

A task audit allows you to identify all the tasks you do on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. To do a task audit, sit down and make a list of all the tasks you do in your business. Include everything, even small little mundane tasks that you don't even think twice about. If it is something you do for your business, write it down.

Identify the tasks ONLY you can do.

Now that you have a nice list of all your tasks, take it a step further. Highlight the tasks that only you can execute. Odds are there aren't many. This will help you begin to narrow down which tasks you can delegate to others. Identifying tasks only you can do also is a good self-check-in. Are you doing the tasks you enjoy and are those tasks in alignment with where you want your business to go?

Create a delegation plan.

This could look like grouping together tasks you are ready to delegate and identifying to who you are looking to delegate these tasks. How many hours a month will the work take? That will help determine if you need a team member, a part-time contractor, or maybe just someone to help with project work. Also, evaluate what TYPE of tasks you will be delegating. Are most of your tasks administrative? If so, then a virtual assistant might be the right type of contractor to bring on.

Okay, with all the pre-work out of the way, you are ready to outsource and grow your team!

I have helped many business owners find their first hire as well as personally grown my team.

Here are the top tips I have learned over the years.

A culture fit is better than a skillset fit

Ideally, a candidate has both. But if not, you can always teach skills. Hiring someone with a fantastic skillset is great, but if their personality and work ethic don't mesh with you and your business, it can cause more harm in the long run.

They are client-focused

If you are bringing on support to help your business and the individual may also support your clients, it is important they have a client-focused mindset. Ask behavioral-based questions in the interview process to get an understanding of how they handle things like missed deadlines, mistakes that may occur, or unhappy clients.

A problem-solver

In business, we often face problems we don't know the answers to. Finding an individual with strong problem-solving skills will further free up your time and mental space. You want to know with confidence that the individual you hire is self-sufficient and savvy enough to find and present solutions to you as problems arise.

Trust your intuition

As you work your way through candidates, listen to your gut. If you get a really great feeling from someone and they check off many of your needs, trust yourself. Yes, it may feel scary and you may worry you are choosing the wrong candidate. But you have already proven to yourself you are a smart business owner to be in the situation of outsourcing tasks. Remind yourself that!

Making the step to grow your team is an exciting step in your business! It is normal to have questions, reservations, and nerves. Is anything, in particular, holding you back? Anything I could offer more insight into? Send me a message and let me know.

And if you looking for help managing your business, visit our agency at fiercedecorum.com. Full site launching soon!