If you want to build a company of any substantial size you need to learn how to delegate. It can be a difficult process for many entrepreneurs because it means they are giving up some degree of control but you can only do all the jobs in the business for so long. Here is my advice on how you can successfully delegate some of your work:

1) Delegating tasks versus functions

The first aspect of delegating to understand is to know what you can delegate. The two options you have are tasks and functions. Tasks are specific requirements such as write a press release, follow up on sales leads, and create a marketing flier. They are lower level responsibilities that require you to tell your employee what to do. Functions are higher level responsibilities that give your employees a greater degree of control. Examples are putting someone in charge of marketing, human resources, or sales. Instead of assigning specific items to do you give them a goal, a budget, and let them come up with the plan of action and then execute on it.

2) Know which option is best for you

Chances are if you’re bringing on your first employee you will need to delegate tasks and not functions. You will have to train your employee and keep a close eye on them to make sure they are performing. As your company grows and your employee(s) gain more experience you can look at delegating functions. Delegating functions will also free up your time to focus on the strategic direction of your company.

3) Focus on the low value tasks

You will gain the most from delegation by looking at where you are making money and where you are spending your time. If you making $50 / hour, for example, when talking with clients and then are spending half the day doing a job that you could hire someone to do for $10 / hour you are missing out on some serious earning potential! Look at the tasks you are doing that are the lowest value to the business and delegate them out so you can get more value from the time you are spending and focus on the higher paying tasks.

4) Focus on the tasks you don’t enjoy

If you don’t enjoy what you do then you likely won’t be good at it and there are tasks in every company that the business owner wishes he / she did not have to deal with. Find someone who loves doing those tasks so you can focus in on what drives you and makes you happy. It will make your company stronger and give you a greater sense of joy and excitement.

5) Start small

You don’t have to hire someone full time right away. Most entrepreneurs think that they can’t afford to hire someone at the start because it requires a full time salary. You can start very small – hire someone for a couple of hours per week at $10 / hour. The first person I hired was for one hour a day, five days per week. As I grew my company I was able to afford to give him more hours and raise his salary. Starting small also gives you the experience of managing employees so you won’t be new to the game when your company begins to expand.

6) Look at interns

Another great way to start small is to bring on student interns. They are often free and can provide some excellent ideas, work, and energy for your business. I’ve worked with foreign language students who are university educated to come into my business and work on specific projects. I am also starting this week to bring on high school student interns who are looking for work experience as part of a co-op program. It’s a great way to test out the waters with specific tasks. If you see a return on the time spent then you can look at potential hiring someone on to handle it after the internship is up.

To grow your business you will need to delegate out some of the work. Delegating can be fun, can help you focus on the tasks that bring you the most joy and the most money, and can take your company to the next step. Follow these simple strategies and you will begin down a path to tremendous growth. Find a way and start small today!

Evan Carmichael