There are many different areas of responsibility which need to be performed in order to have a successful business. If you’re running a small business, you will wear multiple hats in order to get things accomplished. Many small businesses don’t have the extra capital to hire on employees when they start and therefore they themselves will tackle many of the tasks that need to be performed. If you’re operating a large company, there are many departments and jobs which need filled in order to get the job done.
You many have heard the phrase “chief-cook-and-bottle-washer” which simply means you do it all. Many have used the words “whatever it takes.” These words are not uncommon for any entrepreneur. If the tasks are going to get done then they themselves will be the ones to do it. A mistake that many owners make is to obsess over controlling everything within the business. The mindset is that nobody will care or do as good of a job as they themselves. It then becomes difficult to delegate or farm out services. As we continue to add more workload to the schedule and spread ourselves too thin, we ultimately then become ineffective.
As your business grows, you can delegate or farm out various tasks to outside vendors. These vendors should be specialized in areas of performance where the owner and staff are weak. This will enable time to be spent being productive doing those tasks in which are areas of strength. If your strength is in sales then you wouldn’t want to sign a truck up for others to find loads from load boards, brokers or dispatch services. If your strength is maintenance/operations, it may be wise for you to farm out a truck’s availability to a dispatch service. What is important is that you focus on making your business the most profitable by making the best use of your time.
You can farm out almost any service in regards to your business. Everything from accounting services, administrative, maintenance, sales, routing, dispatch, permitting and truck washes. These are all functions that take away time. You may want to decide how your time is best spent throughout your working day.
Over the years, I have improved and am willing to let go of some things when it comes to delegating responsibilities. In the past, I would only have an outside service wash my truck/trailer if it was absolutely necessary. I didn’t like to pay someone else, let alone step outside the truck and see dead bugs on the truck which hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly. Today, my attitude has changed somewhat as there are more profitable things for me to accomplish than wash down the truck/trailer.
The key is to know your strengths and utilize your time wisely in order to become more profitable.