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As an entrepreneur, I’ve learned a hard truth: It’s not just about doing more; it’s about doing less of what doesn’t serve you. I tried to do every little task in my business for years. I thought, “If I want it done right, I should do it myself.” That mentality left me exhausted and my business stagnant. It was then that I realized the key to real growth wasn’t working harder; it was letting go.
By letting the things go that do not have personal touches, you get into bringing better talent, more global specialization and, yes, more time and more money. Alright then, let’s dive in on five things you need to stop doing so that you go from a busy business owner to an empowered leader.
Related: 3 Major Time Wasters for Leaders — and How to Overcome Them
1. Stop doing it all yourself
Doing it all yourself isn’t a sign of strength; it’s a roadblock to growth. Business owners often think no one can do it as well as we can. However, if you hold on too tightly, you’re not allowing others to share their expertise, you’re not saving time by delegating, and you’re not giving yourself the mental space to make strategic decisions.
Take action: Find the tasks that are eating up your day but do not require your direct input. Customer support, social media management, basic accounting — you name it. Delegate these tasks to people who can do it better than you and free up your time to focus on growth and strategy.
2. Don’t limit yourself to local talent
If you’re limiting yourself to within your zip code for where your talent is, that really puts you at a disadvantage against leveraging the massive global talent pool out there that has that exact skill set and tends to be at a more competitive rate. Going global offers opportunities for expertise you just will not find locally, and it affords your company leverage around insights and cutting-edge practice from the world.
Take action: Begin searching for platforms that connect you with global talent. You can find experts in digital marketing or technical support through sites like Upwork, Freelancer or specialized agencies, and many of them have worked for companies like yours.
3. Stop ignoring the benefits of specialization
That’s what the current business world is all about — specialization. You’re trying to manage tasks across accounting, marketing, operations and customer service without experts for each, and you get left in the dust with competitors who know the magic of specialized skills. By bringing such experts in, you acquire not only knowledge but also efficiency, insight and better results in the final analysis.
Take action: Determine where you can leverage outside expertise and determine your company’s core activities. For instance, instead of trying to learn everything about digital advertising, hire a specialist or agency. Specialization is not an expense; it is an investment in excellence.
Related: Should You DIY or Outsource to an Expert? Here’s How to Decide What’s Best for Your Business.
4. Don’t waste time on $10 tasks
Too many business owners spend precious hours on tasks that don’t drive growth: responding to routine emails, scheduling meetings or troubleshooting minor IT issues. This is time you could be spending on developing strategies, networking or innovating. True growth is driven by focusing on high-value activities and letting go of the ones that don’t need your attention.
Take action: Determine the value of your time. If you’re doing something that others can do for you for $10 or $20 an hour is holding you back. It’s holding back your business. Let junior people in your team and virtual assistants handle the small things and give you more time to develop your empire.
5. Do not neglect systems and automation
Stop doing repetitive work manually. Such processes like invoicing, inventory management and sending follow-ups via email are automated in many processes, which reduces the error percentage while saving you a lot of time. Such simple automation tools keep your business working smoothly even when you get busy with bigger things in life.
Take action: Write down all the repetitive tasks and see what tools or software can automate them. From customer relationship management to accounting, programs like Zapier, QuickBooks and HubSpot can take care of everything, so you don’t have to worry about the day-to-day minutiae.
Related: How to Enhance Business Automation and Unlock New Levels of Operational Efficiency
Running a business doesn’t mean you have to do everything. It is knowing what to focus on, whom to trust and using the right tools and people to help you grow. Outsourcing, embracing global talent, specializing, offloading low-value tasks and utilizing automation all help you build a system that works for you rather than the other way around.
Remember, the goal is not to work harder but to work smarter so that you can spend your time on what truly matters — building a billion-dollar vision, growing relationships and enjoying the freedom you set out to achieve.
