You’d honestly be shocked at how many business owners approach me overwhelmed to hell with the classic line: “I don’t know what I need, but I know I need help.”
Basically, they’re saying, “I’m bloody drowning here, but I’ve got no clue what to delegate or how to get someone to pull me out of this mess!”
Sound familiar?
Trust me, I totally get it. It’s like you’re constantly running on a hamster wheel, trying to juggle a million things at once. Small businesses are under pressure left, right, and centre – it’s absolutely relentless.
Running a business means wearing a million hats – from dealing with clients and making sure you have enough work (and money) coming in, to handling all the wee tasks in between. And let’s be honest, you’re bound to get buried under it all.
But here’s the thing – no one can juggle it all. And that’s not only fine – it’s 100% normal! Once you accept that, you’re halfway to working smarter and actually getting your business moving forward.
1. Know Your Weak Spots
First things first: you need to be totally honest with yourself. Where are you struggling?
Spoiler alert: we all have weak spots, and they’re not as sneaky as you think. Take a hard look at the stuff you’re doing and ask: “Am I really the best person for this task? Or am I just holding onto this like a sentimental idiot?"
Ask yourself: Am I spending too much time on stuff that doesn’t bring in money? And even if you do enjoy some of these tasks, you’re gonna need to be ruthless. If it’s not making you money or moving your business forward, it's time to pass it to someone else.
Write down all the stuff you absolutely hate doing. You know those tasks that make you want to scream into a pillow? Yep, those are the ones you want rid of!
2. Brain Dump It
A lot of people like to create lists on paper, and that's fine. But one of the things I encourage overwhelmed business owners to do is to dump it all onto a blank Word document.
Why? Because we all know that as soon as you've fired stuff onto paper, it'll most likely get lost, or you'll turn the page in the notebook and forget all about it. If you're dumping all that stuff onto a Word document, it's saved forever to the magical cloud and you can add to it as you go.
We have between 50,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day which is massive. Keep the Word document open as you work and anything that pops into your head, just fire it on there.
It doesn't need to be pretty, or organised - just get it out of your head and down in writing.
And the best part about it? You've just created a digital, easy to share list of the stuff you can outsource.
3. Give Yourself a Pat on the Back
Once you’ve done this awesome little self-reflection exercise, give yourself a huge round of applause. It's a win, so bloody well celebrate it!
Recognising that you can’t do it all by yourself is a massive step for any business owner. You've just ticked off your first "working ON your business" task – so go treat yourself to a wee glass of wine to celebrate (unless it's 9am, then maybe stick with a coffee, unless you're feeling wild).
You’re not just saving your sanity, you’re building a business that can actually work without you. High five - yus!
4. Be Specific About What You Need
Now it’s time to get specific. From that list, what are the tasks that you want someone else to do? Maybe you need someone who’s awesome with data entry? Or someone who can make your social media look sh*t hot? Maybe you're sick to death of looking at the 10,000 unread emails and want someone to come in and make them disappear?
Define and then highlight those tasks. The clearer you are on what help you need, the easier it will be to hand over.
5. Communicate Like a Pro
Once you’ve sorted your list of stuff to be outsourced, share it with the person who'll be taking over it and be absolutely clear about what you want and when you want it.
Do you need 5 social media posts a week? Say it! Do you need stuff done by a specific deadline? Add it to the list! The smoother the communication, the smoother the process.
Clear communication is everything. If there’s a certain way you want things done, be upfront about it. If your VA needs to learn a specific software to get the job done, give them enough time to learn it themselves or just be ready to walk them through it- which brings me onto my next point....
6. Handing It Over
Fun fact: 90% of information sent to the brain is visual, and people are 70% more likely to remember something they’ve seen in a video compared to just reading about it.
So, instead of explaining how to do something for the millionth time or hopping on a Zoom call, why not create training videos for the tricky tasks?
I know, I know – you're too busy to sit down and become Spielberg, making training videos all day long. But that’s not what I’m saying!
The goal is to do short screen recordings of you doing the task while you do it, essentially building a library of "How To" videos, one quick recording at a time. And, in a few weeks, you'll have a whole collection ready to go. Just pop the links into a Word doc, and hand it over.
I use a Chrome extension called Loom to record videos for tasks I need to train my team on, or to show clients what's been done.
When I brought people into my business (all virtually, mind you – no physical training here), having a stash of these short videos was a total lifesaver. They could learn at their own pace, hit pause, replay, or fast-forward through my endless rambling (it also stops loads of questions from the newbie).
Having a ‘How-To’ guide for different parts of your business is a huge asset, making handovers seamless, giving you the freedom to step away from the business and not worry about micromanaging every single task.
Still Stuck? Get in Touch
If your workload is draining the life out of you or you’re just not sure where to start, give me a shout. We offer a range of services, most of which cover the jobs you absolutely hate. Let’s make your life easier and turn your business into something that actually makes you want to get out of bed in the morning.
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