We all know that start-up business require a lot of time, efforts and resources. Perhaps the most expensive that you directly pay for is the time you spend doing various tasks. There is this feeling of needing to be doing everything because you cannot afford to pay someone to do it or you know better how to do it than anyone else.
It is absolutely normal in the beginning of your business you to be the one-man show and go from marketing, sales to accountancy and management processes as you didn't yet decide the steps to be taken and how you want things to go. But we need to leave all these behind and take the further actions to make the business grow while you overlook it, not as you work yourself off in it.
The most common problems faced by entrepreneurs when wanting to grow are:
The business does not work without you being present there
You do everything, but you don't have enough time to do them all or to do them well
You block the team and so you stop it from its actual performance level that could be achieved
Daily planning by others (clients, employees) instead of you making your own schedule
What can be done in order to avoid all these? Delegation! Let's see the steps to start with:
Make a planning of WHO does WHAT until WHEN
WHAT RESULTS we want from the person doing the tasks
WHAT RESOURCES will be needed to achieve the results
HOW will you MEASURE the attained results (how do you know that they did what you asked them to do)
Offer SUPPORT
Be open to RECEIVE the result
It is possible not to obtain what you want from the beginning. It is possible to delegate tasks rather than results. As it is also possible difficulties to be faced and not everything to be ready in time. In all these situations important is not to criticize, but to support. That doesn't mean you to take the tasks and start doing it, but give support, information or resources that are needed while encouraging them to perform the tasks.
It might take 5-6 times until the employees and you to get used to the process, but every time the process will improve if you keep it the same way. Be supportive and be there for them, yet remember, without doing the tasks for them. You need to build a team to which you can easily delegate the tasks and that together work to support you in the process of leading the business to profits.
You definitely need the courage to start delegating yet that is the way to start prospering and have more time for you to deal with the things that actually matter and give the context for the business to grow.
Take care of your team. They will take care of your clients who will take care of your business. You cannot do everything!