Stop DIY-ing Your Business and Start Delegating

Let’s be real for a second—when you first start your business, you’re doing everything.

You’re the CEO, the admin, the marketer, the content creator, the customer service rep, the finance department…

All while trying to deliver your product or service.

And at first, that’s just how it goes. You have to wear all the hats because you’re in hustle mode.

You’re figuring things out, keeping costs low, and proving to yourself that this whole thing is actually going to work.

But if you try to keep up that same “do-it-all” energy for too long, you’re setting yourself up for burnout. 😮‍💨

At some point, you have to make a decision:

• Are you trying to be a business owner or an employee in your own business?

Because those are two completely different things.

The Business Owner works ON the business, while the Employee works IN the business.

The Business Owner will delegate, systemize, and automate tasks so they can focus on the bigger picture. The Self-Employed Employee will work on busy work and tasks that another person, or even AI, can handle.

These tasks are repetitive, time-consuming, and don’t significantly move the needle in terms of business growth.

The beginning years of a business does require you to be both. But again, it’s important to recognize when that season of your life and business is over and you no longer can/should do everything by yourself.

Why Doing It All Yourself Is Holding You Back

There are only so many hours in a day. If you’re spending them on tasks that don’t directly grow your business, you’re capping your success.

It’s like trying to run a marathon while carrying bricks in a backpack. Sure, you can do it. But you’re making it so much harder than it needs to be.

And here’s the hard truth: You will never scale your business if you’re the bottleneck in everything.

So, What Should You Start Delegating First?

If the idea of letting go of control freaks you out a little—I get it. But here’s a good rule of thumb: Start with the tasks that are…

❌ Unenjoyable – The things you dread doing and always put off. If you hate bookkeeping, hire an accountant. If editing drains you, hire an editor.

❌ Time-consuming – The tasks that take way too long and don’t generate revenue. (Think: scheduling social media posts, responding to basic emails, formatting blog posts.)

❌ Outside of your skillset – The stuff you’re not great at. If graphic design isn’t your thing, stop struggling with Canva for hours. If writing captions is painful, hire a copywriter. There’s even Ai programs and websites that will give you the specific caption template you need.

Justin Welsh is a great person to check out for templatizing everything as a solopreneur. Typeshare is also a great place to find a template for just about any type of copywriting you do.

How to Lighten Your Load (Without Breaking the Bank)

I get it, hiring help sounds expensive. But there are levels to this! You don’t have to go all in and build a team overnight.

Here’s how you can start small:

1️⃣ Options for Small, Low-Cost Tasks

• Before hiring, research and find out if there’s some sort of AI tool that already exists to help you with any difficult, time-consuming, repetitive busy work.
• If the job/task needs to get done by a real human (For example: customer service, project management, etc.) start with a virtual assistant for a few hours a week. (They can handle emails, scheduling, customer service, and admin tasks.)
• Get a video editor or photo retoucher (if you’re a photographer like me) to repurpose your content instead of doing it all yourself.
• Hire freelancers for one-off projects (logos, branding, website updates, etc.) instead of DIY-ing everything.

2️⃣ Create Systems That Make Your Business Run Smoother

• Document Your Processes – If you repeat the same steps often (onboarding a client, posting content, sending invoices), turn them into a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).
• Batch Your Work – Instead of creating content daily, batch it once a week and schedule everything.
• Use Templates – From email responses to graphics, have templates that speed things up.

3️⃣ Automate, Automate, Automate

• Schedule Your Social Media – Use platforms like Later, Planoly, SmarterQueue or Metricool.
• Set Up Email Automation – So your leads get responses without you manually replying.
• Use AI & Software – AI tools can help with writing, design, and even customer service.

The One Thing You Can’t Get Back is Your Time.

Here’s the mindset shift: You can always make more money, but you can’t make more time.

Every minute you spend on low-impact tasks is a minute you could be using to:
✅ Build better offers
✅ Create better systems
✅ Grow your community
✅ Actually enjoy your life

The goal shouldn’t be to just start a business and make money.

It’s to build one that runs smoothly without you, and without running you into the ground.