From the Editor: Do You Delegate Enough?

I was recently at a meeting with a local client of mine who was struggling to keep up with everything she has on her plate. Having recently expanded her store to over 3K square feet – more than double what it was – as well as planning for an upcoming anniversary party (8 years since her doors opened), she is one busy gal. A staff of plus ten – mostly part timers – and a healthy, happy home life to balance as well, it’s no question this store owner is busy with a capital “B”. The question, however, is does she delegate enough?

Delegating is easier said than done. After all,  you are appointing someone else to do something that it’s very likely you already know how to do or may even believe you can do better. Often this means releasing responsibilities you have done for many years and yet, don’t know how to let go despite many new tasks on your plate. The “why” of what we choose to delegate – or not delegate – can be very “telling”, as well. Are you letting go of something you don’t like to do? Or are you holding onto something you don’t trust anyone else to do? What ever the reason is, delegating is a natural growing step for business owners to face. Imagine yourself as a CEO of a large company, for example. What do you think they do all day? For many, it’s simply approving things and then having others execute what needs to be done. You may not run a large company, but if you have employees – whether part timers, contractors or freelancers – supporting your business, you will ultimately need to find your comfort in telling other people what to do.

Accepting that you can’t “do-it-all” is among the first steps in getting to this point – in my humble opinion. I’m not one of those gals who believes I can do-it-all… because I can’t. I can’t always be with my 3 & 4 year olds and still work, but I can choose when to be with them and when a trusted care-taker can help me out. I also can’t cook gourmet every night… but I sure do wish I could. That said, it makes me enjoy cooking a little bit more and a little better the couple nights a week that I get to. While I can’t do everything, what I can do is a lot still. And that’s the message I hope you will take away from this. Accept that while you may not be able to “do-it-all”, remember that what you do and what you delegate all still impact your bottom line. After all, we are running businesses here, right?

Remember that local client I mentioned earlier? Well it turns out she is getting better and better at delegating things everyday. Having accepted social media isn’t her thing, she finally has someone else managing it so she doesn’t have to. Knowing a certain vendor in her store isn’t her favorite yet still among her best sellers, she appointed one of her part timers to help her keep track of sold out items, customer requests and more of this particular line. Turns out spreading her wings didn’t just mean doing more when she expanded her store… it also meant letting go of certain things and letting others pick up where she has left out.

What’s on your list to delegate?

Here’s wishing you each a successful selling season!

Nicole Leinbach Reyhle

Founder & Editorial Director