Learning To Let Go

If you have the entrepreneurial spirit (which clearly you have!), you probably have a tendency toward being a control freak. I know the feeling well -- "No one can do it as well as me, so I'll just do it all!" While this may seem to be more efficient than trying to bring someone else in to help out, it's actually more time-consuming in the long run.

See if this scenario is familiar -- you find that you can't see as many clients as you would like, because you have to spend at least one day each week catching up on paperwork. You spend nearly 6 hours that day on administrative work -- filing, writing letters, sending out mailings to clients, and staying on top of your bookkeeping. You feel efficient, because at least you get it done. But is it really work that YOU need to do? Most of the time-consuming, labor-intensive administrative duties that accompany business ownership don't have to be done by the head of the company. Filing? Anyone could do that, provided they understand how your system is set up. Bookkeeping? Mailings? Same thing. We just don't think to hand these duties over to someone else because we feel we have to do it all --- it's our business, so it's our responsibility.

WHAT'S THE OPTION?

There is almost no reason to hire permanent staff members anymore. You may not realize that you can hire freelance contract employees to handle many of these administrative tasks. "Virtual office assistants" can tackle any task -- from mass mailings to database management to document preparation -- without ever setting foot in your office. Other administrative outsourcing professionals will take care of standard office duties onsite -- such as filing and bill-paying.

And you can find freelancers to take on just about any other non-administrative project you can think of -- designing your website, writing a business plan, sending out press releases, you name it. Finally, many professionals you work with already may be able to help you with some of your concerns. Your CPA may offer bookkeeping services at a reduced rate. Your printer might be able to handle your graphic design needs. And you could talk your attorney about looking over your business plan. It never hurts to ask.

WHY HIRE SOMEONE ELSE?

So you say, "What's the point in hiring someone? If I'm going to have to pay them to do the work, I might as well do it myself!" Not always true. The problem occurs when you begin spending your time on issues that could be done by someone else for less money. What is your hourly rate? Let's pretend that you earn $50 an hour. Now ask yourself how much your "administrative days" are costing you. If you normally work a 6-hour day, you could be making an additional $300 each week if you spent that time seeing clients.

If you were to hire an administrative assistant to come in for 6 hours a week, at $25 an hour (a very reasonable rate for such services), it would only cost you $150 a week. You still net an additional $150 a week -- that's an extra $7200 a year, if you work a standard 48-week year like most people do. And it is quite likely that -- being the skilled professional that her or she is -- an administrative assistant could complete the work in less time than you can. Best of all, you only hire them when you need them -- so if you have a slow week, you cut back on their hours. Looks like a win-win situation to me!

YOUR ASSIGNMENT

As you are working your way through all those action items this week, create a "not-to-do list". For every item you come across, ask yourself if it has to be done by you. Your list might include making follow-up phone calls, updating your contact database, entering all of your expenses into Quickbooks, and sending out a mass mailing to all of your clients -- those jobs could very easily be taken on by someone else.

Once you've decided that you aren't integral to the process, ask yourself who could do it for you. Could be an administrative assistant, web developer, accountant, or the teenager next door -- and if you don't already have connections with professionals who can take over these responsibilities for you, start asking around. Talk to clients, colleagues, and other professionals that you know -- someone is bound to have a few suggestions for you. Try to come up with at least one name for each job on your list. The last step is to contact those folks and start negotiating a deal. By the end of this next month, you should be able to clear at least a few tasks from your plate.

GET YOUR PROCESSES DOWN

The key to letting someone else take over a portion of your work is not just handing them a job, but giving them the tools to do the job right. I'll give you an example of how I managed to free up four full days a month with the help of a virtual office assistant. I looked around my office and realized that I was spending an awful lot of time publishing my online newsletter -- a service which I consider incredibly valuable to my clients, but which doesn't directly earn me any money. So I spoke with a friend of mine -- who has worked on websites before -- about giving her these tasks to do. I decided that I still wanted to be in charge of selecting the content for my newsletters, but that Jackie should take over formatting the pages on the web. The most important preparation was setting down the exact procedures she would follow to complete the newsletter each month -- step by detailed step.

This was a bit time-consuming on the front end, but it has saved us both countless hours over the past 6 months that Jackie has been doing my website. Now that she knows what to do and how to do it (without asking me!), she almost works on automatic pilot. And all I have to do is e-mail her my content and wait for the message that my newsletter is complete. And because we hammered out all of the details up front, I know I can count on a consistent, quality, professional job each month. Best of all, Jackie's rate is less than half of mine, so I can spend those days working with clients and still come out ahead! So what projects are you ready to outsource?

Ramona Creel is a Professional Organizer and the founder of OnlineOrganizing.com -- a web-based one-stop shop offering everything that you need to get organized at home or at work. At OnlineOrganizing.com, you may get a referral to an organizer near you, shop for the latest organizing products, get tons of free tips, and even learn how to become a professional organizer or build your existing organizing business. And if you would like to read more articles about organizing your life or building your business, get a free subscription to the "Get Organized" and "Organized For A Living" newsletters. Please visit http://www.OnlineOrganizing.com or contact Ramona directly at ramona@onlineorganizing.com for more information.

Qualities of a Great Manager

In the call center environment we are often only as... Read More

Demise of the Lone Ranger Manager: A Lesson in Management Communication Style

When executives see themselves as solely responsible for the overall... Read More

Conflict Resolution Training- When Personal Safety is an Issue

Conflict generally arises by having your needs, desires, perceptions and... Read More

Entitlement Programs Kill Productivity

In articles I've written over the years, I have used... Read More

Five Ways to Turn Resistance into Opportunity

Resistance. It isn't something people cherish or enjoy encountering. We... Read More

Managing Motivation

"Without the chance to meaningfully participate in steering one's own... Read More

Know the Source of Business

One of the first questions we ask a prospect or... Read More

Why Half of All Mergers Fail After the Honeymoon Ends

Marriages and corporate mergers in America have at least one... Read More

Strategies for Planning and Conducting Effective Meetings

Did you know that business executives spend about half their... Read More

10 Resolutions For The New Year!!

Each year many people create a list of resolutions designed... Read More

Think Before You Talk

What you say to other people can make or break... Read More

Don?t Get Down ? Manage Up!

"Experience is not what happens to a man; it is... Read More

Déjà Vu MCI to Qwest International Inc: Can this Corporate Marriage Survive?

Current Situation:As of this writing, the MCI Board of Governors... Read More

The Ten Keys to Maximizing Employee Performance

1. Let people know what you expect. If people know... Read More

Finding Proactive Solutions: A Key to Demonstrating Your Management Fitness

In my book Talking Points: 25 Tips for Clear, Credible... Read More

Five Essential Hiring Practices

Recruiting and hiring are often done in haste, leaving the... Read More

The Few & the Many: Free Trade, Outsourcing, & Communication

Have you noticed that some sound ideas get bad publicity?... Read More

Knowing versus Doing - Execution In The Workplace

Have you ever worked with someone who always seemed to... Read More

Training and ROI (Return On Investment)

Statistics consistently reinforce that the biggest challenge in today's contact... Read More

Conquering the Number One Problem in Business--Poor Communication

The Number One problem in business is poor communication: between... Read More

Knowledge Management - Creating a Sustainable Yellow Pages System

How can I "know who knows" None of us can... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Whatever You Do, Do It on Purpose

Decision-making shows up throughout the problem-solving process. The decisions may... Read More

Indiscretion Can Kill Your Business

The quickest way to cancel out all the thought, work,... Read More

Being a Great Boss

Are you one of those bosses that people just love... Read More

Creativity Management ? Quality from Quantity

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More