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“The first rule of management is delegation. Don’t try and do everything yourself because you can’t.”

Anthea Turner

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In recent years, there has been more and more discussion about the need for people to be self-sufficient and able to handle any tasks that come their way, especially in business.

There are many reasons usually listed for this:

– Increased cost of externally sourced services

– Limited availability of potential hires for certain positions

– Competition from companies with more resources

– Limited revenue to allow for hire of employees in specialized positions

Although I have a business background in IT service as well as internet marketing, as a small business owner I’ve also had to take on other roles at one point or another. I’ve had an admittedly improper belief that in many situations I could do the best job. I’m sure lots of people have had the same reasoning for attempting something they have no prior experience with.

For me, it was exciting to learn about things other than what I specialize in, although as a business decision it wasn’t the best idea in the long term. I am still a believer in experiencing and learning new things when and where possible, although in business that idea doesn’t work out the best.

Multi-tasking in areas where you have little to no experience is great for a startup business with limited resources, although it’s best to get specialized assistance as soon as possible.

Other people have more experience and knowledge in different areas than what you or I specialize in, and they can provide far better results. Almost every small business owner finds it hard to justify the costs of having someone else do a job they could do themselves; I’ve been there and know what it is like.

Taking the step to add an additional expense is a hard decision. If a decision like this is made, be certain with yourself that you are willing to take additional steps to use the opportunity of free time and focus to increase your business’s revenue. Use to the fullest the opportunity that a specialized professional taking on a task can provide you.

If you aren’t ready or willing to put in the effort to try to grow your business by focusing on what you specialize in, then an additional expense like this would only have a negative effect on your business.

Another thought that should be taken into consideration is that months or years ahead, anything you do yourself without the proper knowledge, could end up costing your business in time and money resolving the errors that you did.

For example:

A professional photographer isn’t likely to be skilled enough or have enough time to learn the necessities in accounting to find an error that would at a later date cause a bill payment or a sales invoice to be incorrect.

This isn’t an easy habit or mindset to get out of. For me, one of the biggest challenges in doing this is lowering my expectations. If someone doesn’t do something the exact same way I would, that isn’t going to have as big of an effect on my life as I would at first think. Putting personal preferences to the side and putting the priority of the business first would make more sense, wouldn’t it?

Letting go of holding everything up to my expectations allows me to focus on what I am good at and what is most important. After a few times doing this, it starts to feel natural and happens effortlessly, and you may even be surprised what other people can do and what you can learn from them.

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Growing up in an immigrant family in which both parents came from different countries in the Balkans where farming and small villages were predominant and the habits learned there were carried over to life in Canada, I had much exposure to the art of doing everything on my own.

Many people that immigrated from the Balkans to a western country at the time that my parents did were progressive and wanted to make a better life for themselves, to progress further than what was possible during communism. In my case, combining this drive to achieve with the DIY habits made for an end result of striving to do everything and to do it to perfection. Of course, I picked up on this habit as well, being a part of everything that my family did, for so many years.