10 Tasks to Delegate to Employees

When it comes to running a business, your plate is full -- fuller than full, actually. And while you might feel like you’re the only one who can adeptly handle the tasks on your to-do list, that’s probably not completely true.

Delegating work to your employees or third parties can help you free your time to focus on more important tasks. It’s simply a matter of identifying those tasks that absolutely require your expertise, and those that would be better handled by someone else.

1. Marketing. Marketing your small business is a necessity, but it’s not necessarily a task that can be best done by you. Instead, leave it to the experts and hire an employee with extensive marketing expertise, or work with a consultant or marketing firm. These experts will better understand the best strategies to help you find new customers.

2. Design. If you’ve ever attempted to design a logo when you’re not creative by nature, you know it can be time-consuming and frustrating. And what's the result? If it's not 100 percent professional and appealing to your audience, you’ve wasted a lot of time trying to tackle a task better left to the experts. A graphic or web designer knows about color choice, style, and layout, and can build a design strategy that will help you connect with your audience.

3. Managing. Just because you’re the business owner doesn’t necessarily mean that you're the one who has to manage your staff. Some business owners are better in strategic roles, and would benefit from hiring an experienced manager to oversee staff.

4. Admin. Getting contracts signed, filing documents, responding to emails . . . these tasks likely take up a large portion of your day, and yet they’re among the easiest to outsource. Having an assistant or secretary can take the paper workload off your shoulders and free you up to work on other areas of your business.

5. Human resources. As you grow, your HR needs will expand. Once you have multiple employees, you also have to contend with benefits packages, health insurance, sick and vacation days, and of course payroll. This is an area where expertise is essential; staying compliant with employment laws is key, and an HR manager or outsourcing firm can ensure you do so.

6. Accounting. Just like HR, your accounting probably started out simple enough. But maybe now you’ve incorporated or find accounting and taxes more complicated than they used to be. Unless you’re an accounting whiz, this is another area you can delegate to an expert.

7. Research. Whether it’s gathering intel on the competition or finding data for a white paper, research can be a time-sapper. And there’s no reason the research has to be done by you. Assign it to a team member.

8. Sales. Unless you simply love making cold calls and closing deals, sales should be assigned to a professional salesperson. Can't afford to have one on staff? Consider hiring an independent sales rep who already has relationships with your target market.

9. Programming. If you’re in the software or mobile space, even if you are a born programmer, that doesn’t mean you necessarily need to do the work yourself. Consider the cost savings; hiring a programmer – either in the U.S. or overseas – has a lower cost per hour than what an hour of your time is worth.

10. Strategy. While some entrepreneurs consider themselves adept at business strategizing, others might be at a loss on where to begin to build out their company’s long-term vision. If this is the case, work with a business consultant who can advise you on where to take your business.

It can be scary to let go and delegate, but ultimately it will help your company grow faster. Value your time, and determine where your energy is best spent.