Most startups start out scrappy. This means there’s an “all hands on deck” attitude and the CEO usually handles everything from marketing, to sales, HR and admin. But what happens when your startup scales? Does the CEO handover those less-important tasks to focus on the big stuff, or does he or she keep hold of them?
Often, it’s the latter. Many CEOs decide not to outsource the administrative duties when their startup scales for a few key reasons:
You don’t want to be seen as “too good” for the job
Many early employees are there from day dot, which means when the startup scales, the CEO still feels on a level playing field with those he or she works alongside. Being seen to giveaway the “lesser” jobs, might make you feel like you’re saying you’re better than everyone else (even though you’re really not saying that at all).
No one can do it as well as you can
Your startup is your baby and you don’t want to hand over any job, no matter how small, to someone who doesn’t love your baby quite as much as you do. Then there’s that secret voice that tells you it’s “quicker” for you to do the jobs you’ve always done, so you carry on doing them. But the truth is, you know that your time is more valuable now and could be better spent elsewhere.
You haven’t got time
Handing over the admin duties to someone else means an injection of time, at least initially. So if you’re strapped for time, “outsourcing” the admin work could get pushed to the back of the queue.
Do any of those reasons seem familiar? Don’t worry – we’re here to help you put an action plan in place that will ensure you don’t end up being “the admin person” when your startup scales. Use these five action points to get good at outsourcing.
1. Work out the time you could save
If you’re like most entrepreneurs, you’ll know that time is money. Do the math if you don’t believe us. Most great admin assistants only need to save you around 4 hours per week in order to cover their own costs. Now how much admin could you outsource to get back just four precious hours of time? Seems like it could be worth the outlay.
2. Plan for the future
While your startup might still be at the stage now where you can get away with doing the admin, in the future it won’t be. Not only will you become a roadblock for new employees who can’t get anything done because they’re waiting on you, but investors in your business will want to see you using your time wisely too. Invest now, get the paperwork off your desk and your future self will thank you for it.
3. Health-check your paperwork
If you’re trying to do all of the admin while, you know, running the actual business, it’s likely that it isn’t in as good health as it could be. There are people out there who specialise in making your admin work like a well-oiled machine, which will tighten up the screws elsewhere in your business. Happy admin, happy startup.
4. Build trust
By outsourcing your admin and not trying to keep a firm grip on every single element of your startup, you build trust with those working around you. They trust that you aren’t too control heavy and that when the time’s right, you’ll allow others to scale and repeat the great work you’ve been doing. You also then begin to see that others can handle admin just as well as you can, which makes you more open to outsourcing other jobs too. All you need to do is take that first leap.
5. Make outsourcing your admin easy
Whether you pass your admin over to an employee you already trust, or use an admin outsourcing service like ibLE, make outsourcing as easy as possible for yourself. Create lists of the admin tasks you’re working on and hand them over one at a time. This way you’ll loosen the reins without feeling like you’ve lost control.
Where we come in
At ibLE we’ve helped hundreds of CEOs and entrepreneurs outsource their admin to experienced invisibLE PAs. Some of the pros that will help you to feel comfortable about outsourcing to an ibLE PA include:
- No contract – dip in and out whenever it suits you and your business.
- Accessible – your PA will work around your timeframe and needs.
- Personal – our PAs will go above and beyond to learn about your startup and what makes it tick.
Ready to begin the awesome journey of outsourcing your admin? Step into the ibLE office, right this way (don’t worry, it’s a virtual one we know you’re too busy for meetings).