Written by: Jamie Kullman, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
There's so much to do as a business owner, especially if you've found yourself doing everything inside your business. Often being a "solopreneur" is glamorized, but the truth is being self-employed was never the goal, yet it's the outcome of overworking and not knowing when to cut ties with the non-essential.
You envision a life where you're in control of your schedule. Not because you're your own boss, but because you know exactly where you need to show up each day to get into a “flow” state.
It's time to figure out what 20% of tasks you should be focusing on and which 80% can be automated, delegated, or eliminated immediately.
Let's begin by determining the 20% of tasks you SHOULD be focused on each day. We will call these: zone of impact, delegation, admin, and profit-generating activities.
1. Zone Of Impact: this is the area of your business you would never want to outsource, it's the stuff that lights you up and typically why you started your business in the first place. For me, my zone of impact is speaking, coaching, and creating digital assets. What is your zone of impact? (Listen to this podcast episode if you need more help finding yours!)
2. Delegation: As a business owner you should dedicate time each day to delegating powerfully so your team has systems and processes to follow.
Next time you start on a project ask yourself, "Can I document the process I would have done to complete this task and assign it to a team?" It may take time to get into this habit, but once you do you are going to remove yourself from ever doing the task again in the future!
Most importantly you must realize that there is a mindset shift that must occur to shift from CEO to business owner and much of that is understanding how to delegate correctly and set systems up for your team to follow, without you.
3. Admin: There are certain admin tasks that you may still need to be a part of assuming you don't have a team who handles this. These tasks should be started by you, but can often be delegated to a personal assistant. I would still set aside time each week to ensure these are being handled properly.
4. Profit Generating: There are some tasks you must complete to ensure your business is profitable. Maybe it's setting up a new lead generation system or coming up with a new DM script, this time is allotted to making your profit-generating activities more efficient and allows your team to handle more of the workload. Many times it's not actually about you taking on more of the tasks.
Remember why you started your business and what you do inside of it that lights you up. That's the main place you should be showing up and you shouldn't feel guilty about cutting yourself loose from the other aspects, just know that it's vital to replace yourself before you do this.
Now, let's take a minute and determine what 80% of tasks should be automated, delegated, and eliminated completely.
Step 1: Make a list of the things you do each day and each week inside your business
Step 2: Write A (automate), D (delegate), E (eliminate), Z (zone of impact - items found above) next to each item you find here.
Step 3: Take action, streamline and flow.
ELIMINATE: Anything with an E you can cross off immediately and it's up to you to stick to your guns and stop doing these tasks starting today. I recommend setting an alarm on your phone that pops up every few hours saying "am I inventing things to avoid the important?" Oftentimes these tasks that should be eliminated are just busywork. This can include things like checking email, getting the mail, doing laundry, etc. Maybe things you can scale back to once per week?
ZONE OF IMPACT: This stuff is your jam, keep doing it.
AUTOMATE: Here is where the fun begins. You can start creating workflows or systems that make the task automated. For example; client onboarding could be automated with a CRM platform removing your time from the equation, scheduling meetings can be streamlined using a calendar scheduler and you can even add confirmation emails and forms to make your process smooth.
Spend some time researching a good automation source that will make this a breeze and remove your time from the task moving forward, this can usually be done without bringing on a team.
DELEGATE: Here I'd take some time and document how you would usually take on a project, then assign it to a team member to take it over from here on out. Make sure you're very specific so it's easy for them to follow through! Note; many times it's a delegation problem if the ball is getting dropped within your organization, take time to learn how to delegate effectively to avoid this problem!
If you can start to spend less time inside your business and more time in your zone of impact you’re going to start experiencing greater growth, fulfillment, and impact while eliminating the non-essential. Talk about giving yourself freedom and an opportunity for work-life flow.
That, my friends, is what being a business owner is all about. It’s not figuring out what other things you should be doing, it’s figuring out what other things you shouldn’t be doing. Then not doing them anymore.
Jamie Kullman, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Jamie Kullman, is an expert in business growth strategy and host of Moms Freedom Maker Podcast. After starting her first 6 figure business at 15 years old she dove into the world of entrepreneurship and never looked back. Jamie specializes in systems and strategies that dramatically reduce the amount of time her clients spend working while increasing their impact on the world. She's on a mission to help self-employed entrepreneurs step into the freedom they started their business for but never achieved. She believes a business should act as a driving force to help your message reach those in need, without jeopardizing your quality of life.
