816: Season 8 Action Steps: Identify, Prioritize and the How-to of Taking Action

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Season 8 homework exercises (part 2 of 2)

The second homework exercise will help you be deliberate about getting the right help. Also, refer to prior episodes in this season on tactical practices that many of my guests used to not only find the right things to delegate but also how to make your helper(s) successful. Feel free to do the ones that resonate with you, as you can get value out of just a few or by doing all of these prompts.

Identify and Prioritize

Before you can post that ad in Indeed or reach out to your network to find your perfect helper or helpers, you need to identify what it is you need help with and prioritize it against a few measures. These prompts will help you do that so you can get in action and make things happen.

Reflecting on the prior homework in part 1, make a list of the things you love to do that utilize your unique skills, experience, talents or gifts.
Make a list of the things that you feel you have to do or are forced to do that you know are part of running your business or marketing your work, but you really resist, don’t like doing and know you’re just not the greatest at.
Prioritize the first list, things you’re great at, in order of ability to earn the highest revenue for your business and secondly take the least amount of time. So revenue-generating potential first, and then the quickest to perform second. Put numbers down the left side of the list for revenue and then another set of numbers down the right side for speed to completion. The goal here is to find the highest-generating revenue tasks that you love to do and are great at in the shortest amount of time.
Prioritize the second list, the things you hate to do and really aren’t that skilled at, in the same way. Prioritize this list in the same way—ability to grow revenue and time to complete.
As you’re identifying and prioritizing these two lists, there will be a few tasks and/or responsibilities that jump out at you. Circle those. They will be the ones with the most emotional charge.
Find the top priority of both lists—the one thing you absolutely hate to do that needs to be done and you’re not great at it, and the one thing you absolutely love to do that drives the most revenue and happiness in your business. Keep doing the latter, and delegate the former.

Prepare for Your Helper

These are prompts that will help you prepare for the ideal helper that’s a perfect fit for your business and your personality and style.

Describe the ideal person you’d like to help you with the task(s) you’re delegating. What is their personality like? What is their attitude about the work they will be doing for you? How do they view the partnership? What is their communication style? What is their need for leadership—are they self-driven, creative and collaborative? Or are they in need of constant guidance, instruction and permission? Do you want to be able to meet with them in person on a regular basis? If so, they will need to live within your area, so that is an important criteria to clarify as well.
Write about how involved you’d like them to be in your work, innovating new approaches, simplifying your business operations, giving you creative ideas, brainstorming with you, etc.
Write about the onboarding process, how easy you’d like it to be, what you’d like it to look like, how you would like the period of them getting to know you go.
Write about the perfect day working with your helper. What do they accomplish easily for you? How engaged are they? How well do they communicate? How easily do they take on responsibility? How effective are they at doing the job right the first time? What ideas are they bringing to you to make your life easier?

Getting in Action

The following are prompts that will help you get into action so you can get your helper on the team as soon as you’re ready.

Assess your budget to gauge the hourly rate or flat rate for your helper. Set goals for increasing your revenue on a consistent basis so you can sustain having the helper as opposed to hiring them on and off, unless your task(s) fit a periodic engagement.
Reach out to colleagues or other business owners in your network who have already hired a similar helper and inquire about the experience, what they pay, where they found them, etc. This will help give you some idea and save you time when you’re ready to search for your helper.
Draft a document that outlines the duties of the helper’s role, and be specific so you’re clear on what they’ll be doing. Have optional tasks for higher caliber candidates.
Consider creating a candidate test or interview process to help filter poor-fit candidates. Depending on what they’ll be doing, you want to make sure they have a good grasp of software apps or spreadsheets for example.
Once you’ve crafted a clear job description for the role you can then reach out to your network to see if they know anyone they could refer to you. Start here first before posting a more formal ad on Indeed or LinkedIn. You’d be surprised to find that your network could be a great source for a trusted helper.
Depending on the outsource you want to find, there are companies that do provide certain services overseas that may be much less costly. Research those as well to see if an overseas outsource provider would be a good fit. In the end, it’s all up to you to have the right comfort level.
Block time on your calendar to dedicate to interviewing and onboarding and a 90-day trial period if it fits the role. Set a deadline to get a helper so you can get back to focusing on work you love to do and make money doing.
It goes without saying, but make sure you get at least three references they have already worked with.

These prompts and what is also included in each guest interview will certainly help you better prepare and enjoy the process of outsourcing and getting virtual help to grow your business and make it more enjoyable.

Building a team can be a scary thought, but there are ways to grow your business without the burden of full time employees, insurance, legal compliance and all of the heaviness that is typically associated with having traditional employees. As a solopreneur, it’s your business and you can grow it however you want. Find the sweet spot that works well for you and attract the people and resources that give you more space to do what you love so you can continue giving your clients a powerful and transformative experience.