When it comes to growing our digital marketing agencies, we tend to take on more than we have to. As entrepreneurs, we often feel as though we have to do everything ourselves—even if it’s something we’re not good at. When starting a new task, we’ve been trained to ask ourselves “How can I do this?” when according to expert coach Dan Sullivan, author of Who Not How, the better question to ask is, “Who can do this for me?”
Truth be told, we waste a lot of time when we don’t delegate tasks to people more qualified and skilled than us. For example, if you’re great at marketing but not great at finances, what might take you 5 hours to organize and complete might take someone more qualified an hour. When you hire someone to take over that task, you can spend those 5 hours more effectively by working on a part of your business you’re good at.
Outsourcing to a professional will save you time and money, so why wouldn’t you? Frankly, most business owners make up excuses as to why they can’t. “I can’t afford it,” “No one else will do this the way I want it done,” or, “There’s no one I’d trust with this task.” Unfortunately, scaling a business is impossible without delegation. That’s why it’s important to focus on your zone of expertise from the beginning, and give the rest to someone more qualified than you.
If you struggle with relinquishing control, but want to optimize and successfully outsource your business, I’m sharing 5 tips to make the essential paradigm shift to build a successful business without killing yourself.
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Work Smarter, Not Harder
Work smarter, not harder is a concept we’re all familiar with, but don’t all put into practice. Many entrepreneurs think they just have to work harder than their competitors, even though that isn’t always the case. A successful entrepreneur focuses on increasing results… not effort.
When we only focus on increasing the amount of work and energy we exert, it leads to burn out, physical exhaustion, and mental fatigue. This doesn’t always produce better results. The best way to serve your business is to preserve your energy to focus on the things you’re passionate about, and to outsource the things that aren’t your expertise.
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Find People to Do the Things You’re Not Good at
You don’t want to just hand your business off to anybody. Find the right people to carry out your tasks. Oftentimes, when businesses fail, it comes down to a failure to optimize their task force. You have to find someone who fits within their role and the business at large.
It’s likely that someone with entirely opposing views than you won’t be a great front man for your business. Someone who has only done marketing for paperclips may not represent your digital agency well. Just because someone has experience doesn’t mean they’re qualified. Identify what qualities are most important to represent in your company and hire accordingly.
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Create a Vision and Communicate Effectively
As a leader, the onus falls on you to create a vision and efficiently guide your team through to execution. For example, what “clean the house” means to you might mean something totally different to your spouse, friends, or co-workers. It’s a difference of definition. When we lead a team, we have to clearly communicate what we want.
That way there’s no confusion when it comes time to get a task done. Effective communication is the single most important tool when it comes to successful collaboration. Business owners who lead with trust and clear communication will always reap more success.
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Collaborate with Others to Achieve Better Results
Despite what you were told about having to “work harder than your competitors,” that you have to “do your own work,” and “collaboration is cheating,” it’s simply not the truth. This is an old-school way of thinking that will prevent you from growth and success. Collaboration engenders connections, productivity, and success in business.
No one can do it alone. That’s why it’s important to stop competing and start collaborating. Find the right people, and build a team that supports your vision. Having the right people on your team will bring you more success and fulfillment than grappling to do it on your own ever could.
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Change Your Mindset
If you still believe that “No one will do it the way I want it,” “No one will work as hard as me,” and “No one can do it as good as I can,” you’ll stay stagnant. The first step to expansion and building a dream team starts with you. You have to release the need for control and perfection. There will always be someone more capable, more talented, and more efficient than you.
The best business leaders recognize this and use it to their advantage. Change your limiting belief that you have to suffer to be successful. Success is easy once you put the right team and system in place.
If you’re bordering on burnout, you’re growing to hate your job, and you’re drowning in work… learn to delegate more effectively. You don’t have to kill yourself to get results. Learn to delegate and outsource your tasks more effectively, and you’ll be shocked by the results!
Further Reading: Five Tips For Digital Marketing Agencies to End 2021 Well
