Combining Passion with Productivity: Delegation For Entrepreneurs

Even if you are used to doing it all yourself as a solopreneur, delegation is a powerful tool to add to your arsenal. Knowing how- and what- to delegate is empowering and liberating. It allows small business owners to reprioritize their efforts in order to focus on high-priority activities and business growth. 

Delegation is not just about pushing off tasks, though there is undoubtedly a case for delegating your least favorite tasks (more on that in a bit). It's a strategic move that can drastically enhance efficiency and accelerate business growth. By delegating routine or repetitive responsibilities to a team member, you will be able to concentrate on the essential initiatives that are tightly intertwined with the reasons you started your business in the first place. 

When Passion Leads To Burnout

If you are like most solopreneurs, you create your own company from a place of passion. A passion for a product you want to sell or a service you want to offer, a passion to be your own boss, a passion to do things your own way… that passion equates to buy-in! In a business setting, passion isn't just a personal emotion; the authenticity and innovation passion creates becomes the most powerful tool possible for networking and growing your business. 

Passion leads to success and growth. But when burnout creeps in, success and growth start getting in the way of passion! 

So you now find yourself stuck behind your desk. You are fulfilling orders, managing your customer database, chasing down invoices, and responding to email inquiries. You no longer have the time to be creative or the energy to make that extra sales call or go to that networking event. You have hit a certain point in your business development where your energy is being drained, and your passion has become divested. You are spending hours working IN your business rather than ON your business.

Passion takes a backseat to being encumbered.

The solution? Delegate tasks to a virtual assistant.

Delegating administrative tasks can free up time and energy, allowing your passion to reignite. 

Why Delegation Matters

The benefits of delegation are far-reaching. Expanding your leadership skills through delegation is an excellent step in personal growth. Delegation can lead to a healthier work-life balance and prevent burnout. By delegating support tasks to a virtual assistant, you can remain focused on the big picture and have more energy for efforts that can catalyze growth and innovation.

As a solo business owner, recognizing the power of delegation is critical to reclaiming the passion that ignited your entrepreneurial journey.

The first step toward delegation is a series of assessments that, when completed, can orient you and your business toward success.

The first step is to conduct a thorough self-assessment. Identify your strengths, weaknesses, and the tasks that consume a significant portion of your time. What tasks do you push off to the end of the day, week, or month? What tasks do you dread doing? Be honest about those tasks. Do you really need to be doing them?

Tasks that do not require your specific expertise and can be performed by someone else are ideal to delegate. The same goes for tasks you may dread or aren't very good at. Pay special attention to administrative, repetitive, or time-consuming tasks. Support tasks are critical to your business's health but don't lead to breakthroughs and business growth. Even if you enjoy this type of work, should you really be spending your valuable time working on rote to-do items?