“It takes a village” is an African proverb derived from the idea that children grow up healthier and happier when they’ve had the opportunity to interact with an entire community.

Believe it or not, the same can actually be applied to your business. You don’t have to do it all, so consider what tasks you could start delegating and begin building your business village today.

BUILDING A BUSINESS: WHY IT CAN (AND SHOULD) TAKE A VILLAGE

APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING 

If you use an online scheduler, you may be thinking, “I’ve got this down, next please.” Not quite. Humans are forgetful creatures, and it may benefit your no-show or cancellation rate if you offer a courtesy reminder call the day before.

This is where a part-time or virtual assistant can be helpful. Your assistant can also send follow up emails and reminders to vendors and other businesses, helping you effortlessly burn through that never-ending to-do list.

GROCERY SHOPPING AND LAUNDRY 

This isn’t strictly business-related, but it is so important. These tasks are necessary yet time consuming, and that’s time you could spend on opportunities that are benefiting your bottom line. Most grocery stores offer both online delivery and pick up, or consider Instacart.

Laundry can be never-ending, especially if there are multiple people in the household. There are a number of companies to consider when it comes to doing your laundry, but remember to support local when you can.

Remember, you’re a part of their village as much as they’re a part of yours. Check online or ask your local laundromat if they offer pick up and delivery. Bag up that laundry, make some tea, and get back to the work that really matters!

FINANCE & PAYROLL 

This one can be uncomfortable. After all, revenue and controlling your own finances is probably one of the primary reasons you’ve chosen to captain your own (business) ship.

Unless you’ve got a background in bookkeeping and enjoy these kinds of tasks, outsourcing to your village will free up significant time to spend on writing or simply building your client base – whatever it is that ignites passion.

Remember, independent accountants are usually self-employed too, so yet again, you become part of their village, too.

Bonus tip: Work with a small, independent accountancy firm (as opposed to one person) to also avail of financial advising to help strategize, grow, and scale your business.

MARKETING YOUR BRAND

You can outsource writing and content to freelancers, but frankly, many Health Coaches prefer to keep this task in-house both from a passion perspective and consistency. It’s essential that the tone and voice are locked in, especially as a business is establishing its place in the industry.

So what remains? A lot, actually.

Jo Malone of Jo Malone perfumes, candles, and bath oils is well-known for her “empty bag stunt” when she was trying to break into the US market in the late 1990s.

Instead of trying to sell her product in a normal way, she avoided costly rental fees and arranged for friends to walk around affluent neighborhoods of New York City with branded, albeit empty, Jo Malone bags.

Immediately, curious shoppers began asking who, where, and what “Jo Malone” was, leading to a successful launch of the first Jo Malone concession in Bergdorf Goodman, just a few weeks later.

Not bad for a brand that was virtually unknown. Don’t worry, you don’t need to rush to purchase branded tote bags – begin with branded postcards or thank you notes and gift them to friends to use as they wish. Within a few months, your brand could be making its way to towns, cities, and countries far beyond the reach of your day-to-day marketing efforts.

SOCIAL MEDIA 

When it was just Facebook, social media was relatively easy to keep up with, even for the busiest entrepreneurs. Social media has since evolved into its own industry, with multiple platforms, not to mention multiple algorithms that require constant upkeep to ensure you’re consistently hitting the right engagement parameters (spoiler: they change, often).

Social media is a great way to engage and build your business, so consider hiring someone who can oversee your social media. Remember, digital engagement and paid advertising are big for business, so it’s no surprise they feature heavily in many college majors. Consider hiring a college student as a part-time paid intern – you’re guaranteed to get the most up-to-date social media support, and as a bonus, you get to help someone build their portfolio.

TO SUMMARIZE

There are many ways you can delegate your day to day tasks so you can spend your time focusing on what truly matters – building your business. You can’t do it all and do it all well (and why would you want to?), so choose one thing to delegate today, and start expanding that village of yours. Which one would help you out the most? Share it with us in the comments below.

To find out more ways to maximize your time and energy, head here Working On (Instead Of In) Your Health Coaching Business!