Master It or Delegate? Tips for Smart Outsourcing

Not long ago, I was driving from Brussels to London, where I was hosting my Smart Business Head Start^TM Power Class. My partner suggested he take the wheel as I wasn’t used to driving on the left-hand side and because I’m not familiar with London’s roads (I’ve always taken the Tube).

I chose to keep driving.

I wanted to master driving on the left, because it’s a useful skill and something I might have to do more often. Knowing how to do it also means I have the freedom to drive in London whenever I need to; I don’t have to rely on someone else if I want to get around the city. Plus this was a skill I could learn quickly, without wasting time or money.

Will I always do the driving? Probably not.

This is a simple but true example to illustrate a crucial question every entrepreneur, freelancer and business owner needs to answer…

 

What are you mastering and what are you delegating?

If you’re wasting time on activities someone else could do more cheaply…

If you wish you could free up your time for tasks that really matter to you…

If you wish you could focus your time on activities that grow your business…

… it’s time to reconsider how you delegate. It’s time for some smart outsourcing.

You may choose to never learn about certain things, because you’re out of your comfort zone, not interested, or too busy.

Or you may choose to learn them, to master them and then to delegate anyway.

 

The key is to proactively decide what is worth mastering and what should be delegated.

Here’s how to make it work:

1. Master skills that move your business forward
2. Delegate skills that just keep you cruising
3. Always outsource activities you’re not very good at (and probably never will be good at) – these are often frustrating and joyless and take up too much time.

While all activities have a certain impact on the future of your business, not all are strategic actions that will take your business to the next level.

Are you mastering the things that will move your business forward?

Or are you using your valuable time for activities that merely maintain the status quo?

 

Where does that leave sales and marketing?

I believe you, the business owner, should MASTER SALES AND MARKETING before you even THINK of delegating it… regardless of whether you like it (or not) or know how to do it.

Are you surprised?

Here’s why I believe this…

Because no one cares about your business as much as you do.

And if you delegate those functions before YOU know what you’re doing, your message will not come across. You won’t connect with your potential clients. Ultimately, your business will not be representative of you, the business owner.

I’ve made this mistake! I paid big money to people who did what they knew and applied the same strategies across the board, without really knowing my business or my vision. And because I didn’t know any better, I couldn’t evaluate what was – and wasn’t – working.

When you master something, you can also empower your employees to do a great job by showing them how. Because YOU know what you’re doing.

 

Step-By-Step Guide To Smart Outsourcing

If you’d like to figure this all out, free up your time and grow your business, check out our Step-By-Step Guide To Smart Outsourcing (it comes at a bargain – just $39).

You can expect to:

• Get an honest overview of how you are spending your time
• Gain 100% clarity on which tasks are strategic and will grow your business – and are therefore worth mastering
• See which tasks you should be delegating to someone better or cheaper than you
• Understand whether to delegate to staff, freelancers or outsourced virtual employees
• Receive a job ad template and set up systems so that hiring external contractors becomes easy

As a business owner, your time is precious and should mainly be spent on taking steps that lead to business growth.

How has delegating changed your business? Got any tips on outsourcing for other business owners? Share your thoughts in the comments section.

P.S. If you’re interested in learning more about outsourcing with limited resources, watch this short tutorial. It covers a 3-step formula that works really well to help you outsource a lot of your work, so you can focus on the activities you enjoy and that bring real value to your business.