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From Worker to Leader: Outsourcing in Your Business

I found myself in a similar position for quite some time, especially with my event-based business. It served as a wonderful creative outlet, and I loved every detail of it. However, as time went on, I realized that I had to embrace the role of the Visionary and CEO—the person actually running the company, not just being a worker focused on the tasks.

This realization extended beyond my business and applied to my home and motherhood as well. You can’t solely be the worker bee all the time; after all, your children are your little helpers, and your husband is an incredible teammate, whether you’ve recognized it yet or not. And don’t worry if you haven’t mastered this aspect yet; you are in the right spot!

Empowering Your Inner Leader

The truth is, you possess incredible potential to lead in various aspects of life: your business, your children’s lives, and your home. You can be a true partner to your husband as you journey through marriage. Unfortunately, society often fails to teach women about their potential within. But now, you have the opportunity to uncover and harness that potential.

Let’s dive into these important topics and start learning how to tackle them. This blog post is precisely designed to demystify the process of hiring help. You’ll be amazed at how simple it can be, and you don’t need a fortune to make it happen! Trust me, I’ve got you covered. I’ll break it all down for you, so without any further delay, let’s get started!

Overcoming the ‘Control Freak’ Mindset in Business

Many entrepreneurs, including myself, have grappled with the label ‘control freak’ when it comes to seeking help in our businesses. But let’s be clear; this label isn’t a life sentence! With the right training and intention, we can create new habits and excel beyond our natural inclinations. That’s what makes this journey so empowering!

Some of you may even wear the ‘control freak’ badge with pride, but deep down, you know that it can have its downsides. It may lead to moments of foolish actions and unnecessary overwork driven by pride and fear of failure. This fear may prevent you from entrusting tasks and responsibilities to others, making you exhausted.

Moreover, insecurity may play a significant role in your reluctance to surrender control. Doubts about your organizational skills, ability to train others, and capability to set up systems on the backend create anxiety.

Yet, acknowledging your weaknesses and the tasks others can do for you allows you to set up a framework for them to follow. This framework ensures things are done the right way and empowers you to embrace the idea of others stepping in.

The Value of Delegating and Outsourcing in Business

Navigating Outsourcing Channels: Finding Partners for Your Business

So, let me share how it all started. The first person I ever worked with was an intern, and I didn’t have to pay them anything. It turned out to be an incredible learning experience and helped me set up my business to delegate tasks effectively.

My intern was able to explore the idea of becoming a VA as I offered 5 hours or even just an hour of work.You can propose a trial period to an intern of 30, 60, or 90 days to test the waters and see if they’d like to continue working with you on a contracted basis!

To find potential partners, I got resourceful and reached out to stay-at-home mom groups. It’s amazing what connections you can make just by asking around within your community. I found the most success through word-of-mouth referrals and recommendations from people I knew personally, like fellow podcasters or professionals in my niche.

Collaborative Success: Sharing the Load for Effective Outsourcing in Business

Sometimes, you just need to take a moment to stop and realize it’s not that complicated. If there’s something you dislike doing, don’t want to do, or if you’re simply overwhelmed with work, then it’s time to start looking for somebody to help.

Here’s the thing—I have one more important point to make. If you’re content with where you are, and you have no desire to grow or explore new possibilities, then by all means, stay where you are and do what you’re doing.

But if you’re eager to grow and expand your horizons, then you need to accept that there’s only so much you can handle with just your two arms. No matter how much you try to stack everything on top of each other, eventually, something’s going to fall.

That’s where collaborating with others becomes crucial. When you partner up with someone, they can share the load and take on tasks you’d otherwise be juggling alone.

Remember, it doesn’t have to be complicated at all. Embrace the idea of finding the right person to complement your skills and be open to creating a partnership that benefits both of you.

Organization: The Power of a Solid Workflow

So, let me break it down for you. The first step to getting organized and making your business run smoothly is to create a solid workflow. I talked about this in Episode 53, where I shared my exact process for building a workflow. 

Trust me, you can’t keep everything in your head; that’s a recipe for wasting time, stressing yourself out, and neglecting your family and children. You should be fully present with your loved ones, not preoccupied with business details swirling around in your mind. It’s time to break that cycle, and the solution is a well-structured workflow.

If you haven’t established your workflow yet, take a moment. Pause reading this right now and invest the next week in setting it up. If you have any questions along the way, don’t hesitate to reach out in our FREE Facebook group.

However, if you’re really committed to making a significant change, I strongly encourage you to join the academy. Inside the academy, I’ll personally help you build your workflow, and you’ll also become part of a supportive community of women who are doing the same. You won’t be alone in this journey; we’ll be working together every step of the way.

Adapting for Success: Evolving Your Workflow as Your Business Grows

And here’s the best part—your workflow doesn’t need to be set in stone. As your business grows and evolves, your workflow may need adjustments. Guess what? I’ll be right there with you, ready to help and guide you through the changes! So, let’s get serious about organization and growth. Invest in your business by building a solid workflow, and you’ll see how it transforms your life and productivity.

Streamlining: The Art of Task Categorization and Delegation

Alright, let’s dive into the magic of organization! You’ve got all your tasks laid out, and now it’s time to make them work together seamlessly. Categorize and batch them based on their similarity. For instance, group your blogging tasks, your social media tasks, and depending on your line of work, create batches like restocking or contracting. By doing this, you’ll streamline your workflow and maximize efficiency.

Next, identify the tasks that don’t necessarily need your undivided brainpower. These are the perfect tasks to delegate to someone else. For me, hosting the podcast is a must, but editing can be handled by someone else.

Now, what about your blog? You can totally have someone write it for you! The key is to ensure they capture your voice. They could use a transcript, but that can be a hassle to go through. Instead, opt for bullet points based on the podcast episode. That’s enough for me because I trust that they share my company’s mission and will do their best work!

And here’s a little secret—perfection isn’t the end goal. Not everything needs to be flawless all the time. It won’t compromise your brand as long as you maintain overall quality. So don’t stress over every tiny detail.

Taking the First Step: Delegating Small Tasks for Big Impact

Let’s start with baby steps. Begin by deligating one task, even a small one, to someone else. It could be as straightforward as managing an inventory that requires sorting and counting. Could your children lend a helping hand? Alternatively, consider the possibility of a helpful neighbor willing to step in. Delegating isn’t just about lightening your load; it’s an opportunity for someone else to grow their skills too!

Keep in mind, it’s okay to let go and trust others. Embracing delegation allows you to spend more precious time with your loved ones. Picture this: you can lovingly prepare that special meal, tenderly tuck your little ones into bed, and enjoy those heartwarming moments—all without the nagging pressure of missed deadlines looming over you!

Outsourcing in Your Business: A Step-by-Step Guide

Let’s dive into the nitty-gritty of onboarding and training. I’ll walk you through the exact steps I took, in chronological order, that work like a charm for me. 

Outsourcing Step One:

First, choose which tasks you can begin outsourcing in your business. Next, take your time and think through the entire process of the tasks. Detail every single step needed to complete that task. Get super specific; you want it all down on paper!

For instance, let me share an example from my current workflow. My awesome VA is helping me manage the Facebook group. I needed to explain exactly how to handle requests for permission in the group. So, I gathered all the necessary information, compiled it into a spreadsheet, and shared it with her. It’s organized in a folder named ‘Facebook Group.’ Now she can smoothly input all the information. Simple, right? I applied this to multiple tasks.

Outsourcing Step Two:

After that, create an account with a password manager to enhance security and streamline access. Personally, I use LastPass; it’s been a lifesaver in this aspect. With LastPass, you can set up accounts specifically for the tasks you’re delegating and then easily grant access to your VA. This eliminates the need to share passwords directly and removes the hassle of changing passwords after every hire. This simple step will save you time and improve the overall security of your business operations.

Next, you will need to create training videos using Zoom. Sit in front of the camera, share your screen, and go through each step. Record the entire process! As a pro tip, avoid mentioning any specific names so you can reuse the videos for future hires.

After that, you will need to share your training videos. If you have extra storage on your Zoom account, simply share the video link. Otherwise, download the video and upload it into the shared Google folder you’ve created for your VA. That’s where they’ll find all the training materials

Finally, create a comprehensive spreadsheet with all the SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures) from step one. Additionally, include links to the training videos and any relevant spreadsheets. This way, your VA can easily access everything they need for each task and maintain a clear understanding of the process.

Building Your VA Dream Team: Start Small and Scale

Now, for your first VA, I recommend starting with one task and gradually adding more as they become familiar with your processes. Don’t overwhelm yourself or them. Take it one step at a time, and you’ll see how smoothly everything falls into place!

I want you to know just how simple and effective these five steps are. With some dedicated time, about 4 hours, I knocked out the entire process in one go. Even when I switched to different VAs, I didn’t have to redo everything; it just seamlessly worked. The foundation I built has been solid and continues to serve me well. I’m sticking with this system because it’s been a game-changer!

Tech Tools for Seamless Outsourcing in Your Business

Now, let’s talk about the tools I use. I love using MindMeister, as a task manager. Trust me, you’ll love it, especially if you’re already using it in the academy!. And if you’re considering joining soon (which you totally should), don’t hesitate to start with it right now. It’s incredibly flexible and grows with you.

Also, I can’t stress enough the immense value that Google Sheets, Google Drive, and Google in general have brought to my business. The convenience of everything being shareable across various platforms and devices cannot be overstated. It’s a time-saving game-changer.

I learned this lesson the hard way, persistently managing everything in my Notes app on my Mac. However, upon making the transition to Google, the transformation has been remarkable. The fluidity and seamlessness have been a breath of fresh air.