Beth Jones, International Speaker, Author, & Coach

Do you delegate and outsource?

Years ago in an online training class for writers, the instructor gave me and the other students some advice that I felt was very bad, specifically for me: try to do everything yourself in your business to save money. Wrong, wrong, wrong!

Over the years as a small business owner (speaker, author, and coach), I’ve discovered the power of delegating and outsourcing.

The definition of the word “delegate” is (Source: Merriam-Webster online dictionary):

• to entrust to another;
• to appoint as one’s representative.

The Cambridge Dictionary online defines it as:

• to give a particular job, duty, right, etc. to someone else so they do it for you.

My husband Ray Jones is a fire chief-paramedic. When he first got this job several years ago, I strongly encouraged him to delegate some of his responsibilities to take some stressful things off his plate, specifically doing the payroll.

He finally listened to me and this year, his Board of Directors hired an experienced bookkeeper to assist Ray with this sometimes challenging task. His bookkeeper is still training at work in doing the payroll and other tasks, but she’s already helping him so much with his duties.

I delegate and outsource several things:

• I have two VA’s (virtual assistants) who handle my website tech issues and other technical issues and do graphic design for the pages/blog posts on my website. I don’t know HOW to solve these tech problems, nor do I WANT to! I consider my VA’s Marta and Callie to be my “superpowers” (besides Jesus!). They do what I’m not skilled in doing, so that I can pursue God’s calling on my life to speak, write, and coach. Be sure to check out their websites here (Marta) and here (Callie). They are both multi-gifted and I’m SO thankful for them both!

 

• I hire a graphic designer for my book covers and Kindle eBook covers (Angie Alaya at pro_ebook covers) and a formatter (Oseyi O.) at Fiverr. They are both professional, efficient, and fast and help me to keep churning out my books.

 

• This summer I hired a polite, hard-working young woman, McKenna, to mow our yard and do light weed-eating. Our daughter Heather bought a house last year (after renting a house for years), and she didn’t have a riding lawn mower for her two acres of land. Ray and I gave her our riding lawn mower, and I went on the Butler, Missouri Roses and Road Apples page to find someone to hire for our yard maintenance. Ray is VERY thankful for this as he was the one who mowed and hated it! I’m thankful because the grass is being mowed consistently now and she doesn’t make the alien crop circles that Ray used to when he mowed!

 

• Each year when we file our taxes, I hire a CPA to do them. Although my father and my older brother are CPA’s and my sister Maria was a bookkeeper for a CPA for years before she earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in counseling and became a therapist, I know NOTHING about taxes and I don’t want anything to do with them, except to know if we owe taxes or get a refund. (The last several years, we’ve owed! Our CPA used to work for the IRS and he makes sure they are done right.)

 

• I have a website hosting service that I love. Mom Webs * rocks! They also renew my website domain each year and Scott helps me with any tech issues that may arise. They are fast and efficient!

 

• I have a professional speaking coach. I took Robyn Dykstra’s 8-week Christian Speakers’ Bootcamp training earlier this year and graduated with a certificate. She is amazing and has taught me so much about speaking and I just love her! If you’re an event planner for a women’s event or know someone who is, please contact me about speaking!

When I attended minister Kay Nash’s Prophetic Women’s Conference in Fort Meyers, Florida recently, she taught on the Queen of Sheba, Esther, and the Proverbs 31 woman. One insightful and funny thing that she said was, “The P31 woman didn’t wash her dishes and clean her house! Her MAIDS were doing that!” (about the 2:56 minute mark)

I’m still waiting to hire maids to wash our dishes and clean our house, but it’s a great thought! (A girl can dream, right?) 

Delegating is a Biblical principle. In Exodus 18:14-23, NKJV, Moses’ father-in-law gave him some wise advice, because he was working too hard.

These are the Scriptures that I gave my husband Ray several years ago when he started his job as the fire chief of Central Cass County Fire Department in Harrisonville, Missouri and I told him that he needed to start delegating responsibilities to not get overwhelmed.

“So when Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he did for the people, he said, “What is this thing that you are doing for the people? Why do you alone sit, and all the people stand before you from morning until evening?” And Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. When they have a difficulty, they come to me, and I judge between one and another; and I make known the statutes of God and His laws.”

While Ray doesn’t tell his employees God’s laws (although sometimes when the opportunity has risen and the employees broach the subject of God and faith, he has), all his employees have come to him at one time or another to talk with him every day at work. It’s a small fire department but a LOT of responsibility, so Ray has a lot to do every day. But he can’t do it all! None of us can, whatever our job or ministry is.

“So Moses’ father-in-law said to him “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.” (Exodus 18:17-18, NKJV)

Moses’ father-in-law then goes on to wisely advise Moses to delegate and group able men who fear God, and separate them into groups of 1000’s, 100’s, 50’s, and 10’s to help Moses listen to the people’s difficulties and judge them, to help carry Moses’ burden.

Moses’ father-in-law said, “So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace.” (Exodus 18:22-23, NKJV)

That was thoughtful and kind of Moses’ father-in-law to care for Moses like this. It is pride to think we can do it all, and control to want to do it all “to be done right.” Let go and let God! (And train them how to do it!)

Remember that God delegates, too. He delegated Jesus to die on the Cross so that our sins would be forgiven, and we could live with God forever in Heaven. He delegated power to the Holy Spirit to fill us, teach us, comfort us, and help us. He delegates work to us, His children, here on Earth.

You and I as entrepreneurs don’t have to and shouldn’t do it all! 

We need to listen to Moses’ father-in-law’s wisdom, too, for our lives, so we don’t wear ourselves out and get overwhelmed.

What do you need to delegate and outsource today? 

Please leave your comments below. 

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