June 25, 2025
Starting a business often feels like a superhero moment. You’re the marketer, bookkeeper, customer service rep, and admin assistant all in one. At first, it feels empowering. But as your business grows, doing everything yourself drains your energy and slows progress.
Delegation changes the game. Offload the time-consuming tasks so you can focus on strategy, innovation, and revenue. In short: the things only you can do.
Delegating sounds simple, but it’s not always easy. Many business owners resist letting go. Common reasons include:
But holding on too tightly creates bottlenecks. Tasks pile up. Responses slow down. Opportunities slip away.
Admin tasks like answering emails, scheduling meetings, and chasing invoices may seem small, but they pile up quickly. A Salesforce survey found that small business owners spend 23% of their workweek on admin. That’s nearly a quarter of their time not spent on growth.
Imagine if those hours went into building client relationships or exploring new markets. The payoff could be huge.
Not sure what to hand off? Begin with repetitive tasks that don’t need your unique skills. Examples include:
Clear these off your plate, and your mental energy shifts back to big-picture decisions.
Some tasks are better left to experts. For example, law firms often use a legal answering service so they never miss a client call. This saves time and builds client trust.
The same goes for bookkeeping, HR, and IT. Specialised services deliver high-quality work without you having to master everything.
Delegating isn’t just about lightening your load. It gives your business an edge:
Focus creates momentum. When you’re not distracted, you make sharper choices and spot more opportunities.
Take one small consultancy. The founder used to spend hours on calls, invoices, and emails. After hiring a part-time assistant and outsourcing some admin, they got 15 hours back every week.
Those hours went into business development, and within six months, they landed two big client contracts. Growth didn’t come from more effort. It came from smarter delegation.
Delegating isn’t losing control. It’s gaining freedom. When you let go of busywork, you get back time, energy, and focus.
Whether you outsource calls, hire a virtual assistant, or lean on specialised services, delegation transforms how your business runs.
Remember: growth doesn’t always mean doing more. Sometimes, it means doing less and doing it better.
Many entrepreneurs resist delegation because they fear losing control over the quality of work. They might also worry about the cost or believe that only they can do a task perfectly. These habits often create bottlenecks that slow down the entire business.
You should start by handing off repetitive, time-consuming tasks that don't require your unique skills. Good examples include managing your calendar, scheduling appointments, handling routine customer emails, invoicing, and data entry.
Delegation frees up your time and mental energy to concentrate on high-value activities like strategy, client relationships, and innovation. This focus allows you to make better decisions, respond to opportunities faster, and build a more scalable operation.
While there is a cost, it's better to see it as an investment. The time you get back can be used to generate far more revenue than the cost of the support. Many business owners find that the growth achieved makes the investment worthwhile.
Absolutely. Specialised services are excellent for specific functions like call handling, bookkeeping, or IT support. Using an expert service ensures high-quality work without the need for you to manage an employee directly.
