How to delegate when you’re a control freak (told by a recovering control freak)

Explicit content warning

10/08/20 • 13 min

Regenerative Business with Sam Garcia

Link to uncut episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kDlawwf7oTc

If you’re like most online business owners, your business started with just you.

You doing the writing and you creating the graphics. You building your website, setting up your marketing strategy, figuring out how to create a Facebook ads campaign, and managing your social media accounts. You acting as customer service and bookkeeper and tech support.

And this could have gone on for years, with you doing everything.

Eventually, this shifts. You make enough consistent revenue or get enough clients to hire some help. And you now have a team.

But does that mean you’re actually allowing people to help you as much as they can once you build your team?

In my experience... No.

When I first started managing online course launches, I had a team of 10 to delegate to. Every capacity filled: Admin, customer service, copywriter, graphic designers, community manager, tech support...

With a team this size, and with everyone in their niche role, you would think it would be easy to delegate. But in the middle of a launch, in the middle of all the chaos and last minute changes, and even in the months during planning in the pre-launch phase...

I would tell myself things that I later realized were extremely common among multi-talented online entrepreneurs:

“I can do it better myself.”“It would take me less time to do it myself than to teach someone how to do it... so I’ll just do it.”

(These are lies that were holding me back, by the way)

Usually there are areas so outside of your expertise as a business owner that you can easily delegate them. Maybe the tech and graphics aren’t your strong suit so you delegate those every 👏 single 👏 time 👏. But there are usually 1 to 2 areas that you’re pretty good at, maybe even great at, that you’re putting off delegating to other people because of the learning curve or impatience.

I’m here today to tell you that: THIS IS HOLDING YOU BACK!

“Amazing things happen when you start focusing primarily on what you do best and eliminate or delegate the rest.” - Michael Hyatt

As humans, there are a lot of things we’ll do to procrastinate on the hard or uncomfortable stuff. We’ll avoid things that could take us to the next level and free up our time, because we don’t want to do them ourselves, and we’re too afraid to let someone else do them...

(And I know it can be hard to let go of all the extra work when your self-worth is attached to being busy or a hard worker or a hustler. But reminder: you’re worthy because you’re alive.)

Maybe you think I’m going too much into this. But understanding why you’re not delegating certain tasks, or why you’re choosing to do everything yourself, is important.

This is the difference between you being an employee of your business, and you being the badass powerful CEO your business.

You need to know that, yes, your employees won’t be able to do certain things as well as you can in the beginning.
It will take them longer to do it.
It’ll take time to teach them how to do it.
And it will take you time to correct them and fix errors.

But the time you put into delegating and teaching is not wasted. It’s an investment.

An investment in a future where your team supports you and is even better at tasks than you are.

Can you believe in that potential?

Each time you teach a member of your team to do something you usually do yourself, you’re buying future time. You’re buying time for yourself when you don’t have to do that thing anymore. Buying time to do you things that only you can do, things that will up level your business.

Like...

Creating the vision, connecting with the soul of your business, opening up potentials & portals of expansion...

...while your team ensures your business runs smoothly.

Does delegating seem more like it’s worth it now?

Good. Now, let’s get on to how we actually do it.

So how do you actually delegate?

1. First you have to commit to it.

Every time a task comes up that’s not in your zone of genius, commit to delegating it. Even when you don’t feel like it.

Start with those super common repetitive tasks that you don’t like doing. This will free up your time and energy to delegate more of your business, and it will free up more and more of your time for more important things - whether that’s a time for your business, travel, or just playing with your tarot deck.

2. Write out or record instructions.

Create step-by-step instructions that are documented and can be referred to again and again. This can be in a Google Doc, this can be with Loom — any tool you want to use that will physica...

Link to uncut episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kDlawwf7oTc

If you’re like most online business owners, your business started with just you.

And this could have gone on for years, with you doing everything.

Eventually, this shifts. You make enough consistent revenue or get enough clients to hire some help. And you now have a team.

But does that mean you’re actually allowing people to help you as much as they can once you build your team?

In my experience... No.

I would tell myself things that I later realized were extremely common among multi-talented online entrepreneurs:

“I can do it better myself.”“It would take me less time to do it myself than to teach someone how to do it... so I’ll just do it.”

(These are lies that were holding me back, by the way)

I’m here today to tell you that: THIS IS HOLDING YOU BACK!

“Amazing things happen when you start focusing primarily on what you do best and eliminate or delegate the rest.” - Michael Hyatt

(And I know it can be hard to let go of all the extra work when your self-worth is attached to being busy or a hard worker or a hustler. But reminder: you’re worthy because you’re alive.)

Maybe you think I’m going too much into this. But understanding why you’re not delegating certain tasks, or why you’re choosing to do everything yourself, is important.

This is the difference between you being an employee of your business, and you being the badass powerful CEO your business.

But the time you put into delegating and teaching is not wasted. It’s an investment.

An investment in a future where your team supports you and is even better at tasks than you are.

Can you believe in that potential?

Like...

Creating the vision, connecting with the soul of your business, opening up potentials & portals of expansion...

...while your team ensures your business runs smoothly.

Does delegating seem more like it’s worth it now?

Good. Now, let’s get on to how we actually do it.

So how do you actually delegate?

1. First you have to commit to it.

Every time a task comes up that’s not in your zone of genius, commit to delegating it. Even when you don’t feel like it.

2. Write out or record instructions.

Create step-by-step instructions that are documented and can be referred to again and again. This can be in a Google Doc, this can be with Loom — any tool you want to use that will physica...

Previous Episode

Let’s celebrate! Behind The Scenes & your questions answered

Watch this episode on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0pbJaDqjw8

I wanted to do something a little special for our 11th episode of Business as a Magical Practice. I put my feelers out on what would be a fun turn from our standard teachings & interviews and this is what you requested. Some behind the scenes and a Q&A session!

#BTS My spiritual practices

I have a mercury dominant chart so my practices change a lot. Surprise surprise.

I actually ran my kundalini numerology once & it told me my biggest spiritual practice would be doing a single practice for 1000 days in a row. But that hasn’t happened yet & I haven’t even attempted that challenge yet.

So... I’ll keep you posted.

And really I think there’s such a stigma in the spiritual space that things need to be perfect to be effective.

And I know from experience & from seeing the backend of some very successful online businesses, that that does not need to be true for you if you don’t want it to be.

People want real. They want relatable.

And a lot of, if not most of, business and marketing is just building relationships and forming connections.

So back to my spiritual practices.

Different phases of my life required different things.

My daily practice this month (ha) has been really basic and low key because we’ve been pretty swamped with client work.

1. Gratitude List

But it’s essentially been filling half a page with gratitudes - free writing morning pages style:

I’m grateful of eddy, I'm grateful for Olly, for my home, for my team, for living on Maui...

Until I hit half a page

And I’m trying to really really feel the gratitude in my heart and in my body

2. Desire List

And then in the second half of the page I’m writing out my desires - feeling into the excitement of simply wanting those things:

I desire to own a home, for it to rain, to visit my family in Michigan, to make $X this month, to feel fully of energy all day long, to write a killer podcast script, ...

3. Speaking Desired End Result

After that I’ve written a little 1-2 minute script that encapsulates the energy of the goal I’m currently working on & I read it.

I probably don’t need a script but when it’s early in the morning or I’m in a mood, being able to read something just makes it doable & makes it so I can shift my energy quick.

Which is a real blessing on challenging days or weeks.

So for example. (with goal in mind)

Omg I did it. It worked. I can’t believe it worked but it did! It was easier than I thought it would be. It happened quicker than I thought it would be. I didn’t know how this would happen but it did.... And on and on for 1-2 minutes.

4. Visualizing Desired End Result

And THEN I’m feeling really good so I sit & think about and visualize my desired end result. The goal is done. I did it. I imagine myself doing the things I’d do with that desired end result.

So - look at the spreadsheet I’ve been tracking numbers on & see the number hit - get up and freak out and tell my husband who’s in the other room.

Text my best friend What the actual fuck?!

And I also identify all the feelings I’m feeling in my body now that I achieved my desired end result.

For me it’s been - overjoyed, in awe, grateful, proud, and powerful

So all of that takes less than 10 minutes. Super simple & right now I’m really loving having something I can do every day that makes me feel good.

And I won’t go into the specifics of results but this pairing of writing with the emotions with the visualization and speaking it...

Has been insanely effective in terms of what’s happening in my physical reality.

I also often do EFT or emotional freedom technique or tapping. I generally just pull up a video from Gala Darling on youtube & follow along.

Kundalini Yoga

Kundalini yoga is often a regular in my practice. Not this month, but I’m actually thinking I need to pull some kriya back into my day to day bc it just makes me feel so good.

If you’ve never done kundalini yoga it’s definitely weird as fuck, but it’s way more on the breathwork side than any sort of yoga you’re familiar with.

In terms of daily stuff I love ego eradicator & their version of cat/cow & left nostril breathing.

Those are super quick practices.

I’ve done quite a few 40 day kriyas of 11 minute practices that made me feel really sparkly but not currently.

Those ones take a few days in a row of practice to get into but man they feel good.

What I’m loving now

Since this is my first time doing this & I could talk about things I love for... hours. I’m just going to choose 3 things that I’ve loved forever.

Toggl. -

it’s how I track time. It’s how I make my team track time. It’s free. & eve...

Next Episode

Building A Successful Business on a F*cked Up Brain

LET'S STAY IN TOUCH!

Website: www.thedirtyalchemy.com

Instagram: @thedirtyalchemy

TRANSCRIPT:

If you’ve been listening to the podcast for a bit, this is an episode I’ve been dancing around. It’s been on my mind since my 30th birthday last month.

In classic birthday routine, I was reflecting on the past year.

And it being a milestone birthday, the passage of a decade, I was reflecting on all of my 20’s.

I looked back on my 20’s and it made me sad. I tortured myself.

I think this is common because there aren’t many great examples of how to live a truly fulfilling life, and we’re spoon fed the idea that we need to go to college, get a degree, get married, buy a house, have a baby, while also getting a steady job, making money, saving for retirement...

It’s a lot of external markers that we’re shown as success.

Because of my confusion on how to make myself happy & what my life was supposed to look like, I had so many pockets of...

Hating myself, abusing myself, second-guessing myself, being unsure about my direction, and dealing with depression and anxiety.

I put myself through so much pain when I didn’t have to at all.

But just being on the other side of it & being so clear in my vision and clear of the future and happy with where everything is at and where everything is going...

It’s just so clear how much torture I put myself through that was really unnecessary.

And that brings us to the point of today’s episode:

Building a successful business on a f*cked up brain.

Music: Gaena by Blue Dot Sessions is licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial License.

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