How to Delegate Tasks Effectively as a Business Owner
Tell me if this sounds familiar: you know there’s work to be done on your business, but the work you’re doing in your business is taking up all your time.
Yepppp. I thought it might. 🫣The good news is that when this starts to happen, there are some really cool options available to you to help get some of that stuff off your plate.
Learning how to delegate tasks as a business owner is how you can reclaim your time so you can invest it into tasks that create profit for you. It’s hard, I get it—nobody knows your business like you do, and it can be difficult to trust someone else with your baby!
Plus, if you’ve never had to delegate tasks before, knowing how to get started can be overwhelming.
So as a virtual assistant and small business owner myself, these are my suggestions for the best way to get delegating.
Start with a comprehensive task list
It might be a VA’s favorite piece of advice.
Start by making an exhaustive list of everything that needs to get done. And yes, I mean everryyyyyyything. Even if you think it’s more than a VA could ever get done in a reasonable time frame. Write. it. all. down.
Once it’s written down, ink to paper or pixels on a screen, you can prioritize based on what seems most urgent to you for your business. Here are some things to consider when deciding what priority to give tasks:
Deciding what tasks to delegate as a small business owner and their priority isn’t going to look the same from person to person, and that’s totally okay. As with many things, it’s the thought that counts. If you had to decide what was most important, what would it be? Organize the list accordingly.
Now what happens if you’re not sure you’re ready to delegate one of those to-dos, after all? That’s fine! It’s your business. Like, literally.
But even if you’re waffling, I’d encourage you to keep an open mind about it. Put it at the bottom of the list or even on a separate list if you want.
Because, for example, if you were working with me, it won’t take long for us to become biz besties and you’ll quickly feel wayyy more comfortable handing projects off to me (not to toot my own horn, but my clients rave about their experiences, so)!
Be prepared to expand your trust as you work with your VA, whoever it is—your to-do list will thank you.
Provide clear task descriptions
Now that you have your list of tasks done, it’s time to flesh out the details a little bit. While “Chamber logo” might mean something to you, when you’re delegating to a virtual assistant or other aide, you need to be your own translator.
A brief explanation to accompany the checklist item is a good idea. Something like “pull the chamber of commerce logo and add to the footer of my website” is so much more helpful.
Even better? Details, details, details. To keep up with the earlier example, provide the link to the Chamber of Commerce website where the logo is, specify any dimension requirements, and mention justification preferences if you have any.
Some info you should plan to include every single time, like the deadline. But in general, keep in mind that the more intricate a task is, the more info they’re gonna need. Remember that while you have your own mind to pull from, the person you’re delegating to only has this list. There’s no such thing as TMRI—too much relevant information.
Many tasks repeat or are similar enough that you may find a to-do list template helpful so that you remember to provide all the necessary information. I have a template you can use that’s based on my experience working with dozens of small businesses. It’s free, just drop your email below and I’ll email it to you!
Set up systems for smooth workflows
Your task list is the what—now it’s time for the how. Stay with me: this is the part where you might feel like things get a little dicey. But delegating tasks as a business owner starts with a little prep!
Platform onboarding
First off, your new VA or support staff personnel will need access to the platforms involved in all the tasks you’ve decided to outsource—email, website, social media, CRMs/email marketing platforms, project management apps, financial services, cloud drives, etc.
So look over the list of tasks you made and confirm which ones you can add a user to and which ones you’ll have to share logins for. Then make sure your new hire has the appropriate access necessary for all the tasks you’re delegating. I always, always, always recommend using a platform like OnePassword or LastPass to securely store your passwords. From there, you can share passwords securely, and let's be real– it’s an organization dream!
Communication
You also need to be on the same page when it comes to communicating. I mean, if your VA thinks you’re going to be emailing everything and you’re actually sending it in Slack, you’re off to a rocky start.
If you have established internal processes you want them to follow, get ahead of it and explain. If one of the things you want to delegate is deciding your communication systems, let them know you’re open to suggestions.
Management
And last but definitely not least: set regular meetings and catch-up sessions. Delegating doesn’t mean you never check back in…that could be disastrous for you and your business, even with the best VA at the helm.
Remind yourself and your new hire that it could take a bit before things feel natural and it’s okay to try something new month after month while you’re learning how to delegate as a business owner. It’s hard to stay chill about things when it’s your business and it can literally feel like life or death. But I recommend making sure your VA feels assured that there’s no such thing as a dumb question.
Build the working relationship
Are you a toss-me-in-the-deep-end kind of learner or a guide-me-down-the-pool-stairs kind of learner? Whether you learn better under pressure or with the space to grow, your VA may not learn the same way. This might be a good question to ask when interviewing so you know how best to onboard them!
Either way, a good way to ease everyone into the new relationship is to start small with a few lower-stakes tasks. If you picked the right person, you’ll be amazed at how quickly you feel the freedom kick in!
Once you’ve established trust, increasing the workload, involving the delegatee in creating new processes, and even just letting them do their thing without micromanaging will free you up even more.
One way to speed this part of the process up is by providing all those resources listed above from the jump and rewarding initiative when you see it. When your hired hand feels seen and valued, their work will be of even higher quality. Ask me how I know. ;)
FAQs
Q: Will my existing team or business partners see delegating as a weakness?
A: First, if they do, that’s on them, pal—we delegate constantly in our everyday lives. Delegating your oral surgery to your dentist isn’t weak. Delegating your car repair to a mechanic isn’t weak. Why would delegating your admin tasks to an admin professional be weak?
Secondly, delegating tasks in your business isn’t just not weak, it’s a sign of health. Delegating tasks based on strengths means that you get to do what you do best AND empower others by allowing their expertise to serve your business.
Q: How does delegating tasks benefit others?
A: Delegating tasks and responsibilities that are distracting you from the work that only you can do frees up your time. I know it sounds selfish, but it’s not. What can you do with that time? Serve your customers better, be more available to your team, and be accessible to your loved ones.
Q: How do I know if I’m ready to delegate business tasks to a VA?
A: There are a few different ways (these five are my favorite), but a big one is just if you’re spending too much time on tasks that aren’t directly contributing to growing your business. If you’re overwhelmed by the to-dos, consider me your magic to-done fairy. If you’ve been thinking “I really need to get this done” for a while, and it’s not happening yet…we can fix that.
Conclusion
As a fellow small business owner, I know that delegating tasks doesn’t always come naturally. Sometimes, the process takes a little while, but the huge time savings payoff makes it worth it!
If you’re ready to take the next step toward delegating some admin tasks, shoot me a note here and we can start talking about how I can make hours of your day reappear.
Hi! I’m Bre
I specialize in helping female entrepreneurs and small business owners streamline their operations, save time, and grow their businesses with tailored virtual assistant services. From admin support to business systems audits, website maintenance, and launch strategies, I provide expert, personalized solutions. Explore my blog for tips on business efficiency, and connect with me to discuss how I can take tasks off your plate, so you can focus on what matters most.
