Learn to Let Go

Owners of small businesses tend to be very busy people. The fact that time is money, and that most of us love what we do, combine to mean that we spend a large proportion of our time working. This is great, but as individuals, we only have 24 hours in a day, and some of them are needed for eating, sleeping etc.

So how come some people manage to build business empires with their 24 hours in a day, whilst others never go beyond sole trader? Well, lots of reasons, but one of the key factors is knowing when and how to let go, and what to let go of! At some point, if you are making a success of your business, you will have to employ someone, or consider the use of subcontractors. At this point you have to delegate. Delegation is not about giving up control. Instead it is about giving trust.

So what should you let go of? Look at how you spend your time. Consider delegating or subcontracting anything that:

• is regular, predictable, routine work (record keeping is a good example)
• has clear parameters/rules
• doesn't need your authority to progress
• takes up a lot of your time, yet isn't your core business i.e. has little or low return
• isn't time critical (website design is a good example)
• you struggle with, but others may find easy (for example, accounts)
• you don't enjoy

It is a big step, to trust someone else with even just a little part of your business. But, if you choose the right things to let go of, find the right person and (here's the REALLY difficult bit), letting them get on with it, the impact on your business can be amazing.

Go on - choose something to let go of today!

Brought to you by Power Hour

For more tips on effective delegation, click here.