We’ve been talking a LOT about leverage lately.
In fact, if you missed the posts, you’ll need to catch up here, here, here, and here.
And the other day, I had you create a couple of lists. Your:
→ “STOP DOING LIST” (unleveraged 80% of activities)
→ 1%, 4%, or 20% LIST
Remember the reason that SO many people get stuck in their business … is because they are DROWNING in that 80%.
Here’s the kicker – you already know that you shouldn’t be doing most of the things in your 80%. So how come you’re still doing them?
You → “Sounds great Alicia, I really wish I COULD hire someone, but I just can’t afford it right now.”
Or → “Yeah right Alicia, I don’t have the time to train someone. It’s faster just to do it myself right now.”
Or → “Suuurrree Alicia, there’s no one who can do it as well as I can.”
And the list goes on … and on … and on.
Does any of that sound familiar?
Over the next few days, I’m going to show you why you CAN start removing yourself from that 80% …
And I’m also going to show you why you can’t afford NOT to.
Because understanding this is what separates the people who get stuck sprinting on the hamster wheel from the people who crush their goals.
And I really don’t want to see you running in circles when there’s a pretty simple fix.
Ready to start with one of the biggest roadblocks/limiting beliefs? …
LIMITING BELIEF #1: “I CAN’T AFFORD TO HIRE SOMEONE.”
[Fill in that “someone” with an assistant, VA, coach, nutritionist, manager, or whatever position you’ve got in mind.]
Did you see my previous post about how you can get 7 WEEKS of your life back?
If you missed it, check it out for perspective.
Basically – I broke down that I was spending:
- 30 min/day on emails = 156 hours/year
- 45 min/day on social media = 195 hours/year
- Even the 60-90 minutes I spent chasing down/resolving billing issues every week added up to over a week’s worth of work in a year!
Just those 3 things alone total around 385 hours a week … or more than 7 x 50-hour workweeks!!!!
7 workweeks?! Just for those THREE THINGS?
Imagine how much that would add up to if I included some of the OTHER things in my bottom 80% of low-leverage activities!
If you can bring someone on … even part-time for a couple of hours a week to free you up so you can work on your HIGH-LEVERAGE activities …
You would begin to break the “hamster wheel” cycle.
You are actually LOSING money by NOT hiring someone to help you with your lower-leverage tasks.
This is called opportunity cost.
So here’s how I see it …
You can’t afford NOT to hire someone to help you with your 80%.
If you need to, start small and start slow …. But just START.
LIMITING BELIEF #2: “I DON’T HAVE TIME.”
Of course – it’s true that it can be a lot faster to do some tasks yourself.
Not only is it faster, by the time you need it done, you would NEVER have had the chance to train someone on how it needs to get done.
SOMETHING’S GOT TO GIVE… OR IT’LL BE YOUR SANITY!
You have GOT to break out of this cycle.
If it’s a low-level task you have to do repeatedly (i.e., once a month or more), it’s probably worth delegating.
Here’s how to make the time to outsource or delegate:
The next time you do whatever it is (upload social media/answer emails/name that task), spend an hour or two documenting HOW you do it yourself.
I’m talking about each and every nitty-gritty step you take. You can write it all down, or use Loom to record yourself going through it.
Voila! Now you have a “how-to” guide you can use to train someone to do it for you.
Those few hours you spend documenting are an investment in your business.
LIMITING BELIEF #3: “I’M NOT 100% CLEAR ON WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE.”
I have a three-part answer to this one.
First point: A lot of times when we do things in our business … we “wing” it – and figure it out as we go.
This is fine when you’re just starting out because you’re learning about your business. Sometimes everything can even feel a little chaotic.
But if you want to grow, you must move past this stage.
Drilling down into what needs to be done is a big part of that.
It first involves figuring out WHY you perform a task – what purpose does it serve (end result) … and then WHAT you do and WHEN/HOW you do it.
Second point: Documenting your tasks will help you get clear about what’s really important, and also the best way to get those important tasks done.
Getting clear can also help you streamline and get rid of duplicated efforts. Just one example: having multiple tracking sheets for clients and leads AND a fancy CRM.
It also helps you pinpoint and measure what’s working and what’s not … and also what needs to be changed or upgraded.
This is super important because:
Third point: If something is being done in your business that you’re not clear about – is it something you can eliminate?
Seriously – if you never took the time to get clear about it, do you even NEED to do it in the first place?
LIMITING BELIEF #4 “I CAN DO IT BETTER MYSELF.”
Sure, you probably can! Chances are no one will care as much about your business as you do.
But just because ‘you can’ isn’t a good reason to do something.
If your team member can do it 80% as well as you can, it’s probably worth delegating.
Remember the 80/20 principle.
Freeing up that time and energy will let you focus on your top 20%, which will help you grow and scale your business.
Also: your new hires will get better at their jobs with practice and gentle guidance. Give them a chance to succeed!
LIMITING BELIEF #5: “I’M AFRAID I’LL LOSE CONTROL.”
You might not even realize you have this limiting belief, but almost every entrepreneur feels this way.
It’s 100% understandable.
Your business is your baby. You brought it into being as an idea, and you’ve spent a lot of time and energy turning it into a reality.
Of course you want to be involved with everything that’s going on with it!
But don’t you want your business to grow and become the best it can possibly be?
Hiring the right people and training them to do their jobs (and then letting them do them!) is a huge part of that process.
You can absolutely still remain in control by checking in with your team and using a task management software (like Asana) to help manage the day-to-day.
And … SPOILER ALERT: Once your new team member is up to speed and has taken responsibility for the task, you’ll probably be relieved it’s no longer on your to-do list.
You might even wonder why you waited so long!
Did any of those limiting beliefs resonate with you?
If they did, take a hard look and do some self-reflection ….
So you can call them out when you see them, and begin to make different decisions in your business.
Time to break the cycle!!!
Alicia
P.S. Ready to make some REAL changes in your business and life?! My coaching program is designed to help you grow and scale WHILE getting out of the day-to-day – so you can have more impact, make more money, AND have a life. Click HERE to learn more & schedule a call to see if it’s a good fit <<
