How to Free Up to 15 Hours a Week and Focus on Business Development
Many business owners believe that without being fully immersed in operational activities, their company cannot grow. This is a common mistake that hinders scaling.
I often receive messages like: “I immerse myself in all processes to keep everything under control. Yes, it requires effort, but this is the only way I understand where to move next.”
Without the owner, the business wouldn’t exist. But their job is not to carry everything themselves, but to manage and grow the company.
When an owner dives too deeply into operational tasks, they stop performing their key functions:
- they don’t analyze the market and competitors;
- they don’t work on development strategy;
- they don’t enhance marketing;
- they don’t build a strong team.
Instead, they get stuck in operations, spending time on tasks like procurement, customer relations, paperwork, and other processes that can be delegated.
I’ve been through this myself. I used to think I was a great salesperson. I closed major deals and worked with key clients. But in reality, this didn’t allow the business to grow. I often made concessions, offered discounts that an employee salesperson would never have allowed, and spent time on operational tasks instead of strategy.
As a result, I became a bottleneck in my own business. Unknowingly, I kept the company at the same level because I wasn’t focusing on growth and got bogged down in current processes.
How to Tell if Operations Are Slowing You Down?
Answer a few questions:
- How much time each week is spent on tasks that could be assigned to employees?
- What key business functions (development, marketing, hiring) are being neglected?
- When was the last time you dedicated time to improve your management system?
If you have doubts about any of these points, it’s time to change your approach.
Practical Algorithm: How to Free Up to 15 Hours a Week
To get out of operations, you first need to understand which tasks truly require your involvement and which can be delegated.
Write down three functions that can be delegated (for example, procurement, working with clients, paperwork, order management). Determine how many hours per week each of these tasks takes. Calculate the cost of your time. For example, if your time as an owner is worth $50 per hour, and you can find a specialist on the market for $10 per hour, hiring them will not only free you up but also provide financial benefit to the company.
By taking this first step, you’ll free up around 15 hours a week. It’s important to use this time wisely:
- Strengthen marketing;
- Hire strong employees;
- Improve the management system;
- Implement new sales tools.
Delegating doesn’t mean losing control. It’s a way to free yourself for strategic tasks that truly move the business forward.
Once you review all the functions that haven’t been delegated yet, it will be clear how much time you can free up. The next question is how to invest it.
How Business Will Change After Delegation
Imagine you now have an additional 15 hours a week. What can you do with this time?
- Conduct a marketing audit and implement new client acquisition strategies.
- Develop a management system that reduces errors and failures.
- Focus on hiring staff and bringing in strong specialists.
- Set up analytics and automate processes.
And this is just the beginning. When the owner frees up time for strategic tasks, the company grows faster, new sources of profit emerge, and operational risks decrease.
The sooner you start delegating, the sooner you’ll move away from chaos in management and gain the opportunity for scaling.
If you want to learn how to build a system where the team takes responsibility and routine tasks don’t come back to you, register for the open masterclass “How to Strengthen Your Team, Build a Solid Business Foundation, and Reach the Next Level?”
We’ll review specific tools that will help you create an effective management system.
