You can’t do it alone. And when I say “it,” I mean your business. Whether it’s one task or many, you need to delegate in order to focus on the growth of your business.
To “delegate,” as a business owner, means to give tasks to someone you trust so that you can focus on money generating activities.
If you want to delegate the delegation, hire an Online Business Manager. An OBM will be your strategic partner who guides the delegation process, provides clear communication, and monitors progress.
Why go through this process at all? If you want to grow your wonderful business, your team will need you to be in the CEO role and you can’t be there if you’re still managing everything.
You will need to be able to trust that your team can handle the tasks you delegate.
If you have a busy team, you will need someone to help them prioritize and stay on track. An Online Business Manager (OBM) can manage your team and projects, keeping your operations flowing smoothly.
An OBM can manage your team by:
Checking in daily to make sure each team member will meet their deadlines or if not, to see what they need to complete their work
Problem solving so that both you and your team can focus on your work without the interruption that comes from a tech issue, etc.
Heading off future issues by creating systems
Training team members in the skills they need to become more efficient
Managing projects and making sure your team hits their benchmarks and goals
Creating standard operating procedures (SOPs) so that a task can be repeated efficiently
The delegation dilemma
It can be difficult for a business owner to delegate.
They might think, “In the time it takes for me to explain how to do this task, I could have done it already. I’ll train my team another day.” You’re right. It takes time to train someone to the point where they can thoroughly understand how to complete a task.
A business owner might wonder if they can trust a team member to complete a task regularly and without prompting.
They might feel like the months of answering questions and assisting someone with a shaky knowledge of a task will be too stressful because they’ll be worrying constantly about the accuracy of the task.
All of these things are possibilities. However, spending several months training a member of your team to understand and complete a task with precision will be worth it in the end.
At that point, you will have added time to your schedule that you can use to do the things that only you can do, like write a book, reach out to prospects, create a course, and speak at a conference. These activities will help scale your business in a way that the task you just handed off never could.
I knew a business owner who opted not to delegate. What happened? Well, COVID happened. They got sick and their business shut down for a couple weeks.
Another business owner hadn’t been on vacation in years. They were afraid of trusting someone with important tasks while they were away so they just stayed put.
Imagine the pressure these folks were under. There wasn’t anyone they could turn to in an emergency and the health of their business rested on their shoulders.
Wouldn’t you want to avoid this kind of stress at all cost?
Why delegation matters
Delegation is crucial for online service-based business owners with small teams. it provides the ability to:
Increase Client Satisfaction
With an online business, everything moves faster, which means you must provide faster service in order to remain competitive. Sure, you’ve automated some tasks, but it’s that human touch that makes your clients feel special. By delegating, you will ensure that your clients receive the highest level of service, which will lead to increased rates of client satisfaction and retention.
Focus on Core Strengths
Your unique skill set brought your business to life and helped it flourish. By delegating tasks that are not within your core strengths, you will have the energy and time for activities that directly contribute to the growth of your business.
Scale
Delegating tasks to a team will allow you to take on more clients while providing the same level of service. You will also ensure that the team workload remains manageable.
Plan Strategically
Delegation will free up time for strategic planning and business development. You’ll be able to set long-term goals, develop growth strategies, and explore new opportunities.
Enhance Work-Life Balance
Delegating to a team will help you reduce your workload so you can spend more time with your family, pursue a hobby, or simply rest.
The Online Business Manager’s Role in Delegation
You may be wondering, “How does an Online Business Manager fit into all of this?”
Strategic Delegation Advisor
Your OBM will help you figure out which tasks and responsibilities can be effectively delegated.
Task Assessment and Prioritization
By assessing tasks with your OBM, you will be able to categorize them by priority, complexity, and strategic importance. This way, the most critical tasks will receive attention while non-critical tasks can be sorted for delegation.
Team Alignment
Your OBM will evaluate the alignment of the skills, strengths, and roles of your team members. They will ensure that each individual is assigned tasks that match their abilities, maximizing efficiency, productivity, and job satisfaction.
Monitoring and Feedback
Since your OBM is constantly monitoring the progress of delegated tasks, they can provide constructive feedback to team members and maintain a high-quality standard. They will track benchmarks and deadlines so that projects are completed on time.
Process Improvement
Your OBM will be proactive in analyzing processes so that delegated tasks are documented and well organized.
Tech Integration
Your OBM will find the best tools to support your team and make the delegation process easier. The implementation of a project management platform, communication platform, and automation tools will improve team efficiency and consistency.
Long-Term Benefits of OBM Services
At this point, you may be thinking, “This is a lot of information, Stef. Just give me the bottom line.”
An OBM will be your strategic partner who guides the delegation process, provides clear communication, and monitors progress. They will contribute to process improvement, tech integration, and empower your team.
The bottom line: Your OBM will optimize your business and provide you with a better work-life balance.
If you’re interested in learning more about OBM services, email me. I’d love to learn about your business and answer your questions.