Are you the one standing in the way of your own success?
By Charlotte Chipperfield (Founder & CEO, The Wine Key)
We’ve heard it over and over again, “you can’t do it all.” Yet we’re all guilty of thinking we can.
As an entrepreneur, you’ve taken an idea from dream to reality, filed the paperwork and built your business all by your own genius. Your overflowing to-do lists get longer and longer. But you don’t get scared. You get busy. But could you be doing more harm to your business by attempting to take it all on?
Learning to delegate tasks can be one of the hardest challenges for even the most successful solopreneurs. You’re used to doing everything yourself, and you may not have the time or financial resources to bring on the help you need.
Before any tasks can be handed off, you need to take a hard and honest look at your daily tasks and nagging to-do’s. Aside from the core services or products that drive your business, make a list of the tasks most often put on the backburner such as accounting, social media, marketing, sales or writing.
Once you acknowledge what’s really holding you back, you can move forward with the right solution. Seeking assistance can come in many forms. It could mean hiring a virtual assistant, an intern or external vendor. The key is to find the appropriate expert or right person for the job. Hire the right people by asking the right questions and establish clear contracts with consultants so services rendered are as expected.
Tools and Resources to Help Tackle Pending To-Do’s
- Hootsuite or Buffer: Both of these websites and apps are great for managing social media posts and analytics.
- CrowdFire: A social media app which helps you who has followed you in return and find inactive users.
- Insightly: For all your CRM and lead tracking needs.
- Upwork: For hiring virtual assistants, freelancers and writing assistance.
- Fiverr: For all design and logo needs. Just be diligent about reading reviews on this site before paying for completed work.
- IFTTT: For managing workflows
- Rescue Time: An app that monitors your online productivity.
- Intern: Hire someone seeking to learn more in your field who is either in school or looking to develop their resume.
- Business coach: Sometimes the tasks we need completed tackle are bigger such as short and long term business goals. Working with a business coach can help set priorities and put a plan in motion.
Learning to delegate can take time. Start small and be clear on what needs to be delegated. The clearer the tasks become, the better the results will be.
Being able to pinpoint and devise a plan will take some of the pressure off. Then, you’ll be less likely to impede the growth of your company because you refused to ask for help. We all have a limited amount of time, so weigh the benefits of having more time and peace of mind as a result of delegating. You can’t do it alone.
About the guest blogger: Charlotte Chipperfield is the Founder & CEO of Chipperfield Media. She brings more than seven years of experience in marketing and has built a reputation as an expert and thought leader in the digital marketing space. Charlotte loves working with clients to drive increased customer engagement through creative and professional social media and marketing campaigns. She enjoys working with business leaders to navigate the storytelling behind their brand leading to a purposeful customer driven conversation and a healthier bottom line. Charlotte is also a much sought-after speaker, presenting to business executives on how to improve their online presence to better drive their digital marketing efforts. Follow her on Twitter at @ChipperfieldMKG.
