📊 Scaling 101: How I buy back my time through delegation

And what delegating has to do with your underwear [header-card-min-1] Scaling 101: How I buy back my time through delegation [1 (13)-min] Hey Contrarians, You have one job as a business owner: Fire yourself from as many roles as you can. Until you learn to delegate well, you’ll be owned by your business, not the other way around. Nobody delegates well in the beginning. But I’ve picked up some actionable lessons on the subject along the way. So today, I’m sharing exactly what I think about delegating and how I do it. No shame, no regrets. [divider-min] Today in 5 minutes or less, you’ll learn: ✔️ Contrarian framework: The sticky note challenge ✔️ What delegating has to do with your underwear ✔️ The hardest task for me to delegate, and more quick-hitters… ✔️ Know this: The time-to-action advantage [divider-min] Contrarian framework: The sticky note challenge Here’s how I weigh what to delegate in the first place. This comes from my friend who runs an outsourced virtual assistant company. Back in the day, he taught me something called the sticky note challenge. Nowadays, I’m guessing that’s also the name of some controversial TikTok trend, but today we’re talking about this one: [Outsource first-min] Here’s how it works. Over 3 weeks, EVERY TIME you work on a task, write it on a sticky note. When time’s up, organize the tasks into four categories: 1. Low leverage, high time: These are time-consuming tasks that have low impact. Delegate these first. 2. Low leverage, low time: These ‘infrastructure tasks’ are less critical but also consume less time. They’re likely neither a strength nor a passion. Delegate these second. 3. High leverage, high time: It often makes sense to spend time on these because of their complexity or importance, but time isn’t on your side. Delegate these third. 4. High leverage, low time: High-impact tasks that don’t require a lot of time. Delegate these last. Heck, once you whittle it down to these, you probably won’t want to delegate them at all. Alternatively, try separating all the tasks into revenue-producing and non-revenue-producing stacks. It’s pretty eye-opening how much time these tools have shown me I’ve spent on things that don’t move the needle. For the owners and managers out there, this is how you should be thinking through what you do and how valuable it is for you specifically to be doing it. [divider-min] What delegating has to do with your underwear Remember Marie Kondo? She’s a professional organizational consultant, and I don’t mean “organizational” as in big, Fortune 500 company-wide re-orgs… I’m talking about the socks and underwear in your closet. Her method involves pulling out every single thing you own and asking yourself if it brings you joy. If it doesn’t, get rid of it. [Joy-min] I feel the same way about delegating tasks. At my stage, I’m focused on obsessively doing only the things that I’m uniquely skilled at and that I love to do. If a task doesn’t bring me joy, is there someone out there who does find joy in it? If so, I need to find them, cause they’ll do it better than me, faster than me, and probably make more money at it than me. Still, your first instinct should never be to just… delegate. Way before that, you need to figure out what can you eliminate or automate. What does not need to be done? Every time we weigh the need for a new hire, in the back of my head I try to remind myself to ask, “Is this a failure by me and my leadership team to eliminate or automate something?” Eliminate, automate, then delegate, not the other way around. Just please don’t eliminate, automate, or delegate underwear-wearing. [divider-min] TOGETHER WITH GUSTO [Screenshot 2023-11-16 at 12.30.45 PM-min](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Tg3qn9gW95jsWP6lZ3ptW8lxMCH7rTc6QW3P88MX10fKVQW6_XNGl18H6N7W2vfYk31XfnkzW8XWV0_258psQW8NLmcY46WxBMW5WTDdP4GXhDXW21-djk5shV-HN3t66GbLVhj2W4fmff638W090W1F6HcV4T0HmfVkP8kx6kQFR4W6ncD5M7-8ddBW2kwLkr1K_GbWN5zYqJTf06GnW421GRK737SZQN3cr-Q_k42VyV2c2gC4-7l2wW77K0f054hMgKW3CylvH3XHsjKW3l2WLg3zX_VnW3Tgn7s23QnHZW5w4mpv69tG1MW2gnZnl6NnR5sVjq6Sr40RBVrW6CkKrr8HsrC5W4yPyGq8bHJqmW8yMw6Y4_Rlj3V2JXTG5cgRS5W7xjxmQ1_6D2cdvpKSl04) If you’re gonna read 1 more thing this week, read this report Gusto just shared a TON of interesting economic data about the rise of women entrepreneurship in the US, with insights about motivations, challenges, and support, including that: - In 2022, 64% of women said flexibility was the reason why they started a business. - Women entrepreneurs are driving renewed growth outside the US’s large economic hubs, though, in 2022, men received capital investments at a nearly 2.5x higher rate 🤔 Check out the [full report here](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Tg3qn9gW95jsWP6lZ3lNW3myF3W8Lf5MHW8MXFrf5J5hTYN53vbnBd0jS9N50t5W5DvYylW418hKm2kfSZ6W1msQ4V3Bv-qnW6bGWs_4d8r8DW5Dn6n51vRDkjM_TcPy20zcdN69yTrpj1mblW1j-lk97ZC2h4W8h1SwV3X_tlBW5cR4L33JDktwW4b1D6f1X4VXrW2Gd2c45-9S-_W5tmmwy3zzk5wW5VTldJ534cYJW6V_fzL6RSsHmW469cxx7MYsbVW2h4B9t4jq66DW4NljRT26S1zPW8DxsbZ7c8r3TW81NcNK4Vc8PmN8-ZN6LR77RLVjy0Mt40NQH2VJdY2z8J02_XVN0cTQ1SbVwLW6j_l3t29T7_QN6QkGh2bKq6pW5S40t18mTFXhf1Rwj-C04), completely free, including much more on the benefits of women-owned biz’s for local communities. BTW, Gusto is a modern, all-in-one platform that helps 300k+ SMBs take care of their hard-working teams (we’re talkin’ payroll, health insurance, 401(k)s, HR, and more). [Learn more and get started here.](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Sn3qn9gW7lCdLW6lZ3kqW8WDyr17_9gJWW238k0F4mzJfpW5z2Xs6433K0DW2Fl2902gq1rHW8vnhJd6070zlW6TBy0513HdLfW4HNgQ9556Lq4W850zFc3NqzzqW576NcG8kVkrsVqZkBr5SB2X8W3bmvDM2rHp2PW8ZwTJQ8FZH2RW7k66Gr5gdDtrW3fDjb28bvWhFN7LG54rVSh4lN9dX13mTW1ffW5mvyHZ3vwkPnW6sXK2M1hG-_8V4knNw5FDHxLT_r1J3fQWzxN8W51CdCvGFyW6gGSG115qz2vW3PdmJz5mPXpqW3M7vF_7c1l4_f8Hmnss04) [divider-min] The hardest task for me to delegate, and more quick-hitters… 1. The hardest task for me to delegate I actively eliminate, automate, and delegate across finance, sales, and marketing. Doing that’s become pretty easy for me. Right now, the absolute hardest thing for me to delegate is content. We’re managing the process. I have designated times to record content and a creative team to help produce it. I film and record voice memos while in the car and on walks. I transcribe. I repurpose. Delegating content is just really hard. It’s personal; it’s my face, my voice, my brand. I have to be really particular about what my brand is saying about me. 2. My first-ever hire The first hire I ever made was a virtual assistant. I was still an employee working in finance at the time. I didn’t ask my boss for permission. I just paid out of pocket and I had them do every task reasonably possible that wasn’t related to my job. I was lucky to afford it, and it was a huge time unlock. Still is. 3. My best-ever hire (My team is reading this like 👀). The truth is, hiring my first executive, a head of operations, was transformative. My strength lies in executing ideas and visions big enough to fit other people under the umbrella. One of my weaknesses is managing the day-to-day details. Do we have the right CRM connections for the right email marketing campaign? That’s not really my strength. Hiring a COO early on was huge for me. 4. Things I delegate with zero regret Food and clothes. I don’t really care what I eat as long as it’s healthy and tasty. My team often picks stuff they think I’d like for breakfast and lunch, and then my husband does the same thing for dinner. The other thing that I delegate that’s a little weird is clothing. I don’t like to go shopping at all. So I outsource this. Yup, I pay someone to buy my clothes. I like the style more. I return the stuff less. It’s optimized for time. Sue me. Side note: My first company was in this space. The biz was called ThreadsRefined. I ran it and tried (but failed) to sell it. I lost ~$200k by the end of it. [Full story here](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Tg3qn9gW95jsWP6lZ3kvW2-F0TW1Fzyr6W35syKk4B5NxkW5PN5bB1NPGMQW2kV_mP1gYKLtV2Qt5w6Jz1PqW8xQ5Gh4XfHFsVLzLHj1vTrXJW7HYpG_96sT_BW5PJhlt143rfnW71-qcY10M992W8C4Xct76tbVqW1pLzF28bChQFMfswfPc0KmYVvHG0G6dM9GDW5R_4FN41FgcBW1rmqXK7gFsxSW13kxWn7cWrrCN1s701JVsfdNW8RZFLx9j9MVdW5JWY781vzkbtW13_hsn6Dk7GvW5_Th501ts3S5W8lFCtC4412mTW8rMgTz5xXGPSV9w55J14X3FcW7qFWSx4B4_jFW6pn5K-2zlkZVW5w5Z7f1D2tWFW72jV-r4CG13GW5PKRpc399r7pf8F7qpY04). 5. The hardest part about delegating The hardest part is that humans don’t naturally delegate well, especially in the beginning. Early on, without systems, documentation, and processes in place that new hires can use, you’ll both suffer for it. This is the stuff people like to hit snooze on, but for the business owners out there: You must take yourself to the verge of irrelevance. Until then, you will be owned by your business. Generally, I expect delegation to fail around 10% of the time. For 10%, things won’t be done the way that you want them to be. You have to let that go. Expect a 10% failure rate. It’s still better than you trying to manage 100% of everything. [divider-min] Know this: The time-to-action advantage The whole point of eliminating, automating, and delegating is to decrease time-to-action. It’s one of the simplest ways to set yourself or your business apart, and I’m always trying to push my team on this. [ezgif.com-optimize (4)] Just me, or has it become super normalized to say, “Hey, let’s circle back on this next week in our meeting.” It feels like the whole of corporate America has normalized 7 days. I’m not sure why. If everyone else’s activation time is 7 days, and we’re also working on a 7-day timeline, then we’re competing against a lot of people. But if we reduce that time-to-action to, say, 24 hours, then without being smarter, having more money, or even having a better business model, we’re setting ourselves up to lap the competition. Let’s finish with this… I wanted to hear about some of the funny, weird, random stuff that you all delegate with zero regrets, so I asked my Twitter followers to shout some things out. The most relatable response, for me, was probably the person who said, “Dog poop pick up. No shame.” The funniest was the dude who said, “I hire someone to take my girlfriend on dates for me. Frees up so much of my time to make cold calls.” Love the sarcasm, but men, please don’t get any ideas... [divider-min] [about-pigsfly] So not boring... 🕝 Want more? Here are [7 tips](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Tg3qn9gW95jsWP6lZ3lxN45w8X0j2v01MqQBtQsjS1fW3wt3j_5-lQmGN1bnKhZnxKRvN76S_RmhVxQnW85lC8x7MbqBCW1d1QD97DMX3rW3ynf4f3JRf1ZW23v4vX8QWyWjW27DzRj35v-CGW5KW_jl1ymbqxW5BBfnB70ZgM2W8yX6p68DwwjpW37ddHZ2JMJjSW17Jqc-5pnB26W4dKY5M7fB45hN7TcByqq3Fg_W8YyBqz6WBWhzW5pJ8hq7CKk-9N3nnhDRmDW_BW68rN4_8Q39PYW5kQCmD6SLkbCW2CqXNq6J4bxyW3Tyjbc89N7L6W3HLrWP4lKm04W23hhtF5zpQ4VN37cKWYx_Hf2W5-NZ0f4JZp1sW9cSW3b21tmz-VV6wh72M3ZK2f3MHSGb04) for managing time (and sanity) 🚗 Wow: Amazon is going to start allowing [car sales](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Rv5nXHsW5BWr2F6lZ3lhW5JRdLz76lyw3W5Zhwhp4Q4jwQW8k1M9Y1vWXsBN2rqF7-654V0W4Jc4hx486GXyVX-nR54BsLRfW8Ls5DD5NLS74N4wh5sQf5B1vW70X_gx1GMG57W3y8__77xQg1jW4_51p-2YYxvhW68sYc32NBc_dW4TVdBG1P1YR7W8lJRVx92Dpf4W8hFJNx523gHZW2Sj8FW98LDqKW16ymb-8ymbq3W2ycSlq7Q2nfDW18v8GV4nCyKVW4mx65k5SPLMLW8m1YFZ7_mLHwW6Frv3q1N5nPLW2027xH4B0kKPW2_qMZf5Q4zgtW8NQvb97z1hv4V5v8vj7CH19DW10097P5ysj5NN92ZtVnsn_HcW67gVwR2vwdlfW4Z-Nj33gkkFjW5yLL215_xqt3W42PbBz19yKj3N8hN1F2cS0szW2C2Yx22WVfHjf1ysbvR04) on its site 🖥️ An interesting read on mom and pops cutting [software spending](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5RP5nXHsW69t95C6lZ3mmW1lRLPV5Vg9PQW7wNctF1Q-fkcW6NslXk1rbsdxW6KCcYb3bRhp8N7cB3pZ33RjMVTWHY61qRnH5VWx4sS2MMf2CW8Gw1Fv1fZs-MW51DFmL14C9LCW3D9b3d1m5WxcW6YnnQk75VWVzW5VBtXp4CNd0cW59k_T42Nrbc3W6x0HpW3NH6ZPW4M2YsY1NGBWwW3b-qH43FS6NdW7ScCt84ML_66W1D-zB27kzkm1W5lkc1b2WW_qQW2w4TMC25-lVGW7RKSDH1Vfg2jW4MJHbl5-3C1fW4X-RV37t405JW2T9TBd6pJC39W3GzJGL3JqQ0FW4kXv9v6Yqj5zW3ZR-2t8sJYvLW5ZxL0T37V8K1W5Fq__k8M3-0SW6R49Vh4CYWP7N4PJt95cTwy4W71Bp8z8NglnkW10-wTj7j0myPW1hDrJq8dQhZWW5QqPhM4skThfW4Ktll97YN0c-f1d0pBF04) 🍁 A cool look at the [business of leaf blowers](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Rb5nXHsW50kH_H6lZ3lRW7fGZSk3Xlsy2W2YfTpm2FzlJSW3jhmD51xggmDN6ZHX1nvQhk4W5x0WQN7Wv3trW4yV34m2k_Xy3W2sFmTm4GDJNgW7ltd2c5LcnLDW6jRTtw5Vg3LsW4bTmbd3dnN_lVW8snB25HTK5W5dPr--7cbj02W7v-Ggy7CclZ5N57D7pdpC4c3W1PSmj25d9kDhN2NVJkzth047W6l5sWX2qptsyVX2Mrt58v9GjW2g6P_f5dnXwRW305CCy5_q65NW2S6JlB7tJpd0W6Xd6_52PG-kxW4rjt_L2kDFjMVWn0LJ5yKSdCW2934CP4pH9JpW88PCjv4_JkZQN3RH-8WbY_S6W954ssd3NdFpLW2VydQ_5S32vKN8gpYTkWGY21W2XljkH73v4C_W895KhD3tR3g-f4dGHj804) (and how loud they are) 📘 Check this out: My 19 favorite [business book recommendations](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5S-3qn9gW8wLKSR6lZ3p5W6Z_g-l5dl8H3W8dJjJh2QbPQTW6c7NzP3z75H8W5r2Vmf1xSWJ_W4KTGmq2MRt16W4FxJFw70qvtvW5wGF4D8BgBhBW5QPTqy51YG6PW667jxX2S2trVW16htGX1DK3ZgW1-b71T8pqNQ2W6nTNPL9bJd3HW8rqG875RrWTFW6pMJBy1DYDnyW5S60Jt9bdKTfW2cbclp7zBKMFW6qhX0q1xfSjHW6knYSq8fYzzwW7h_WPH4w7pWfW7cVpPK7g5kymW886xwy3F6cx0W57xxwv5QN92dW24MN7v2HFDzwN1-MvBPmL8jdW6RNkq44jRcvxW6J_ZzG3FHWC0VxNvHV4HwbwpW7jPNn-6W4kPRdSHXvW04)… [divider-min] ✔️ What’d you think of this week’s newsletter? Hit reply to let us know! ✔️ Check out our [Contrarian Community](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Tg3qn9gW95jsWP6lZ3mnW7ZYnQP5FMV_5W6v97M24_wlHnW7PpkMs7j3vJvW6LSfVB1cFrpLW3XKD033R2D7gW7lvHXY6NbXDzW2KNRPP243q9DW7vqQyc87w0vYN6n4gC_NZfd0W4P7XH97STlS8W5sKrLS1gQt1MW7CF7jZ8tDhmmN8T4yTnD0TLTW2FT8kD6Q5wkCVwn_Q52yQ9tCW1-cWsH1PSLBjW45S_T61Dl8HCW2wCrjH16V-CrW2mw6FB95CQdyVLvc4l77JPcGW19Sn2L4H-dzqW3sXtST64M-S2V3ykB96y1B_CW3s30NW2kf5yqW6SC7L98RcNr9W2GMVTD37mkFxW3Q4Jx_1GVDDNMS4Zd8Jfw4hW37T0wG5qmwMHW7YPwn0156xMWf1x6lLg04). Learn how to buy your first (or next) business with our expert guidance, support, and accountability. Powered by HubSpot Adelante = always moving forward [Codie-Signature] Contrarian Thinking, LLC, 6705 W Highway 290 Suite 502 PMB 1093, Austin, TX 78735-8407 [Unsubscribe]( [Manage preferences]( Disclaimer – Be an intelligent human and make responsible choices. There are zero guarantees in life. Read our [Terms of Service](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Sn5nXHsW7lCGcx6lZ3m2W1m9RF630mLjxW4K0hbq7Hz7fyW3y8z-H4C877pW2KFHlY2HK8DRW5MHwgY3yY36yW9407js5BN5yFW1yMBgB8TPX5HW3SjGs42qZXs3W5HQ1KX8hth3MW4D_XQC8z7BXTW8T54856nP6PpW7T6XDz8NTqR6W5NywHt4gx7RgW6y7nSY3kQyh8W3X5xtD2N_GpSW7SljjD8NP1fjW2Pl92k3JmTn9N9lYLxjtT1kRN7Wdv6mnX2llW6plWxJ5sQz5tN5CZhxb9kYH_W1TyLNN735_tZVc7VMG2QM93RVHx8-22y6NLVV5wBG3311h7sW7b_hLK4r4Tm6W3d_SCR345vy7W6gdMsN20M2V9N3tR5cFB8ZMFN93Mh22NYZYhN7ln9RDHPs2xN4xGcjDzwmdNW8qxbHl1XyXCMW4W-sLt1yl1JmW95HwKS84p73MW6Q7Bsj1LSTffW1TnwXJ40KHNxW9dgKZ04vq0jTW4-640c3w3dC2W9fsmNj96hrFCd_jgYR04), [Privacy Statement](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Sn5nXHsW7lCGcx6lZ3mDW4sdWMB1rdkDsW5qNNs08CCXP3W7qj4kJ26Cxy_N1fy_WCYDC2cW98FZd_5shQ6fW29PKZD5gPcVfW5j6lKz58hT-lW1VYn9B7GfyfTW7Tc7ph6t4wZBW27QnLQ8m3kVDW3h4yJm39fxlSW6yY3y37whRphN1RSZqgglK0FW5f2wVV4s6MBDW5ZCQzz49FSbFW2m-hpW1ZG-hRW4x7-HS8FJ1v_W1ZrNr81vSZ0YN5zy5rFK-JbHW2XmZ197DHmB9W6ShKCb3ysfm8W2_WQcL3BV1NGW5Q_Qlg7KvQ4LW285ZvZ6y_Zf5W3_n3Ld3qDvlvW7bVxvN7Pm0QmN76Tg6fMKyfdN4rRRRj9ZCLdW74PhPt2qkVjLW2_stVj42l02HN1n72L5mJprJN545sH0Mxm1kW7yZgWK7MJrR1W4fRC7D1QLyx_W3QL6cc7gZcjqVY8SFc6YF_3mW3TQv7k8ChnQGW1NCV5j1Sw3k_N86KgfcgsPckW4387FT7jwfrGdLc5vs04), [DCMA Policy](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5Sn5nXHsW7lCGcx6lZ3mLW5Ghf3c2KkvfqW77wvn04b1wmrW6hD9S-80gnX7W8jrJKp520s3QVCdljz5W7h2BW1CCg9K8MkQSyW2J3MrK5yY_R7W5Vlz_H1H6xmvW8PMsN630Ch4qW1CfgbZ6wWQ-qW6hWMQ_8MGH1-VSS0kh5nnzwTW5Yr9Qz3C-KXcW5zDQqB8WDrW4W8w70wx3HvvjfW87CqgT7xFHjFVqB2-H2glb5LW3FNNPT69RcB-VYwRjb6S54kJN4FznQG9cyvzN8LBnYX3nCtZW2r_4-J4n1mV4N8lmS0zs5Pg2W55CwnY2TmY-QW7g3sNh7NYGJHVdPb5S7lV2xBW77czph5FyjK9W3fq_Cq6gDG8rW3VXDRq7nnPQqW6RTS4D7brqlLW1PSFgh22JR8TW57hcrj8q1MqTW53W3GH49qq30W2qDTyn6NWhGbN3Z1bVVkyMZvN6M4JVG-Vx15N6020ZgyVLx6N5cTpCSvnlkyW7vFD-13h8WR2W3TwF8f5X01mxf3_9Bdn04), and [Earnings Disclaimer](113/d2RjD304/VX6H-f7tCJ2YW2rzGlZ93gxfgW4zFhY955YM9YN5GS5SH5nXHsW7Y9pgv6lZ3nvW1K3QFd8Ft61rW3JxvrG7hp-smW7DdCpM3-Xmn2W87_dvH5FcgnrW13b29y1hm344VMz8C27l2DbBW6Rmr_S4DcsHGW8sV7Px1_Lzl7W5jD__m2bZxywW96YjwZ3Wjb4yW9bNpQx60mMNHW88GSsb4xyTrXN5PS7gd5hcYrW5M-57P2zrRv7W87nNzr25zWMSW7mv0xp39lwWPW18wLnq35L4wrVk32r51JZk-6W6r2sSQ5rLwb2W6BmT4Z7WmGvbN8Zyf4sCB-d1W5_gHfs4vbxSjN7qpBmySgMttW1HDWKc9bTlnLW6cY3VT7zMlBlW817krG5BRbY8W6dJC8H8B0JlsW7knyhp5vdsQbVQBRk23g9svvW6W7dSz5m9bhjW6smb-X43ZjmCW1TdFqM90MD65W1s2nq74XSTrdW41c6gg4PxbT6W8TfYyh2JfR72W1GgP1Z6111ghW8wPklr6-mFBmW5DH2_P3y8dzdW1h_hJr6XwY2tW5Q2lFk1wSpRGW7SGvnj7LryyJW4Q4wcq1H8strf8dhkQF04) before you make any financial or investment decisions.