The Founder’s Guide to Delegation: How to Stop Doing Everything Yourself

Running a business is no small feat, and as a founder, we’re expected to wear multiple hats, especially in the early stages of our business. You’re the CEO, marketer, customer service rep, and sometimes even the bloody janitor! But as your business grows, this “do-it-all” approach becomes a bottleneck. You slow down processes and the growth of your own company, because you do have a limit. Learning to delegate is the key to scaling without burning out.

Here’s your no-BS guide to effective delegation—why it matters, what to delegate, and how to do it without micromanaging.

Why Founders Struggle to Delegate

Most founders resist delegation for three key reasons:

1. Control Issues – You believe no one can do the work as well as you can.

2. Trust Issues – You worry that tasks won’t be done correctly or on time.

3. Time Excuses – You think training someone will take longer than just doing it yourself.

Are you scared that we’re in your head right now?! Well, this thinking is more common than you think. And do you know what?! You’re absolutely right about all these things. They’re probably ALL true. And that’s what sucks. 

BUT, there ARE great people out there and you absolutely need to find them. So, while these concerns are valid, they’re also holding you back. The reality is that delegation is a **skill**, and like any skill, it can be mastered with the right mindset and process.

What to Delegate (and What to Keep)

Not everything should be delegated, but plenty of tasks should. In general, you should be thinking: “Is this a task someone else can do? (Maybe not as well as me, but to a reasonable level) Or is this something only I can do and it would be detrimental to outsource?!”

Here’s a general guide on how to decide which tasks you should delegate and which you should find time to do yourself:

Tasks you can delegate:

Repetitive tasks: scheduling meetings, answering emails, bookkeeping. These are typical tasks that you would give a VA to do. 

Specialised skills you lack: graphic design, paid advertising, SEO, video editing. While you can do them, it takes you ages and could be done quicker and better by someone else.

Time-consuming processes that don’t require your direct involvement: customer service, data entry, social media posting. These tasks are easy to do, but just take a long time. So, again, a VA could handle these. 

Tasks that take you away from strategy and growth: admin work, project management, logistics, tech support. Some of these feel necessary for you as you know the business better than anyone, but you can definitely train people in these areas. 

Tasks you can keep:

– High-level strategy and decision-making

– Vision and culture-building

– Critical financial decisions

– Investor and key client relationships

This leaves you only with the actual business decisions and maintaining key relationships. 

Now, if you get to this level, it would be bliss. But it takes time to get there. 

The golden rule? If someone else can do it 80% as well as you, delegate it.

How to Delegate Without Micromanaging

If you’re not used to letting go of control within your business, delegation will be hard at the beginning. But trust us, it will totally be worth it if you come out of a meeting with an important investor and all your tasks have been completed without any input from yourself!

However, if you’re someone who wants things done well, it’s natural to micromanage tasks, making sure that people do things exactly as you like them. 

Micromanaging is not going to help anyone and it’s only going to upset and scare away good people. 

So, here are some tips on how to delegate without micromanaging. 

Step 1: Identify the Right People

You may have heard the phrase “Hire slow, fire fast” before, but that’s because it’s really accurate. People rush into hiring people because it looks like the cool thing to do – growth is a good thing, right?!

But hiring the WRONG people can be seriously detrimental to your business. 

Don’t just look for people with skills or popularity on social media, think about people’s values too. Remember that skills can be learned and so you can always train people up. Don’t just assign complex work to someone without the expertise to handle it, or this can be off-putting for them. 

Definitely look for problem-solvers too; the best hires aren’t just order-takers – they think ahead and anticipate challenges. 

Step 2: Provide Clear Instructions

As entrepreneurs, we think we’re providing clear instructions a lot of the time when we’re not. We’re so busy doing so many things and just because something is clear in our heads, it doesn’t mean that we’re communicating this clearly enough. 

Some tips that we have found are useful:

  • Define the outcome and not the task. For example, instead of saying “Post on Instagram”, try saying “Create a post that drives engagement and aim for at least 20 comments.”
  • Use SOPs (standard operating procedures). Create a company Wiki and document your key processes so people know clearly what to follow and tasks can be done consistently. 
  • Give deadlines and expectations. Ambiguous timelines lead to unfinished work, and people cannot read your mind about what you expect, so make sure these are also documented. 

Step 3: Trust but Verify

You need to empower your team to do a good job and show that you trust them. If you’re constantly checking in and looking at their work, they won’t feel the confidence to do a good job. 

However, you do need to verify the work being done and provide regular feedback. 

We suggest the following:

  • Set check-in points: To avoid constant oversight, arrange weekly or fortnightly reviews which keep things on track without breathing down their necks.
  • Use project management tools: We use Asana but things like ClickUp or Trello are fab too and help you to oversee work and keep an eye on the progress without micromanaging. 
  • Give feedback, not criticism: Instead of saying “This is wrong” try things like “This could be improved by…”

Step 4: Let Go and Focus on Growth

Once you delegate effectively, your focus should shift to big-picture strategy, partnerships, and scaling. The goal isn’t to free up time to take on more tasks—it’s to free up time to build a better business.

These are the things that only YOU can do and they require your full creative vision. You cannot do that when you’re bogged down with all the little tasks. 

Final Thought: Delegation is Leadership

Delegating isn’t about offloading work—it’s about leadership. The best founders aren’t the ones who do it all; they’re the ones who build teams that make things happen. If you want to scale, delegation isn’t optional—it’s essential.

So, what’s the first task you’re going to delegate this week?