The viewpoints expressed by contributors to Entrepreneur represent their individual perspectives and experiences. In the formative stages of nearly every entrepreneurial venture, founders inevitably assume a dizzying number of responsibilities. One moment they are the visionary guiding the product’s creation, and the next they transform into marketers, customer support representatives, or operations managers — often playing all of these roles within a single afternoon.
I know this struggle intimately. During the launch of my first artificial intelligence startup, my daily existence was an exhausting carousel of competing priorities. By day, I was immersed in writing and debugging lines of code essential for the platform. As soon as tickets from frustrated users arrived, I shifted into support mode, crafting careful responses and chasing solutions. Meanwhile, I attempted to piece together the puzzle of search engine optimization, experimenting with keywords and on‑page adjustments, only to spend late nights deciphering the labyrinth of Google Ads. Every transition between radically different tasks exacted a heavy toll in the form of lost focus, re‑entry time, mounting fatigue, and inevitable oversights in critical details.
Ultimately, I recognized that continuing to juggle every responsibility was unsustainable. I established a guiding rule for myself: if a function required a time‑consuming learning curve, did not sit at the very heart of the product or customer experience, and carried the risk of rapid financial loss if poorly executed, then it was an immediate candidate for outsourcing. Applying this filter helped me regain clarity and channel my energy toward the areas where my impact was greatest.
The first area I relinquished was Google Ads. Initially, I invested considerable effort. I launched campaigns, carefully adjusted settings according to Google’s recommendations, and explored tools like Performance Max. The results were erratic to the point of absurdity — one day my campaigns looked promising, and the next I was spending nearly one hundred dollars to secure a sale barely worth a quarter of that amount. Regardless of whether you operate in software, retail, or local services, platforms for paid advertisements often resemble a bottomless pit: intentionally complex interfaces, steep educational barriers, and constant nudges from the system urging you to pour more money in the name of helping its algorithm “learn.” Once I hired a seasoned advertising specialist, I no longer squandered hours unraveling bidding strategies or second‑guessing keyword intention. It allowed me to return my concentration to advancing the roadmap, interacting with customers, and refining the aspects of marketing I truly understood. That decision was worth every cent. My counsel to others is simple: spend just enough time within the system to grasp its vocabulary and mechanics, and then disengage before it drains both your funds and productivity.
The second experiment with delegation involved handing over social media management, and the outcome was disastrous. I entrusted my accounts to an individual who projected boundless enthusiasm and promised extraordinary results. I granted them complete control, only to watch the relationship rapidly crumple into drama, intimidation, and substandard output. I was forced to shut everything down. From that moment I carried forward a hard‑won lesson: never cede full control of your communication channels to someone you do not deeply trust, and never mistake high energy for genuine expertise. Social media can, of course, be an invaluable asset for businesses seeking visibility in public spaces. However, its value materializes only if managed by a professional whose credibility has been validated and whose accountability is clear. Next time, I intend to engage only those recommended by trusted colleagues, grant them limited role‑based access, set precise deliverables, and keep the ability to terminate the arrangement at a moment’s notice.
The third area I outsourced with far greater success was public relations. I had observed competitors consistently securing media coverage and outperforming me in search rankings due to notable stories and articles. My initial attempt at handling PR independently through platforms like HARO yielded minimal returns and drained precious time. By investing in a professional who could assume full responsibility — from designing strategies to pitching narratives and nurturing relationships with reporters — I finally achieved traction. This expert transformed my complex technical product into stories journalists could understand and audiences could engage with. While this process unfolded behind the scenes, I was liberated to pursue what I excel at. For companies operating in competitive environments or emerging industries, entrusting PR to capable hands can dramatically shift brand visibility.
Today, I apply a clear framework when determining what deserves to be outsourced. I ask myself a series of diagnostic questions: Is the task central to my product or customer experience? If it is, I retain ownership. Does the function involve such a steep learning curve that I would waste weeks acquiring negligible proficiency? If yes, I delegate it. Could errors in execution lead to costly consequences, as often occurs with advertising or legal matters? That too must be outsourced. Do I understand the activity enough to intelligently evaluate the work performed by someone else? If not, I quickly give myself a crash course solely to gain literacy, and then I hand it off. Finally, if I can design a minimal, low‑risk test project before committing to a larger contract, I always begin there.
The mechanics of handoff are equally important. My original system was nothing more than scribbled paper notes, eventually migrating to the native Notes app on my Mac. Over time, I adopted tools only where simplicity aligned with clarity: Trello boards when workflows demanded visualization, otherwise just efficient communication through email and brief regular check‑ins. The principle is not elaborate tooling but unmistakable clarity. Each assignment should have one obvious metric for success, one accountable owner, and one consistent rhythm for updates. Regarding access, my painful social media experience permanently ingrained the necessity of role‑based logins, shared credentials managed through a password vault, and the capacity to cut access instantly if needed.
There is also a fashionable phrase many entrepreneurs tell themselves: “It’s quicker if I do it myself.” While it might feel true in the moment — because explaining a task requires effort — the long‑term reality is starkly different. Handling everything personally trades away stretches of deep, irreplaceable work for endless thrashing across shallow tasks. The better approach is to study a domain briefly to acquire working knowledge, then remove it from your plate altogether, thereby preserving your focus for the irreplaceable contributions only you, the founder, can make.
The harsh truth is that no founder can sustain the illusion of doing everything. Not indefinitely and certainly not at a high standard. The path forward lies in selectively outsourcing functions that, if mishandled, burn cash quickly, present formidable learning curves, or divert focus from product innovation and customer value. Retain absolute authority over the infrastructure of your business, initiate engagements with small reversible contracts, and quantify every outcome. Above all, remember that striving to appear superhuman incurs a greater cost than investing in skilled specialists who can lighten the load and accelerate growth.
Sourse: https://www.entrepreneur.com/starting-a-business/i-stopped-doing-these-3-things-myself-and-it-made-my/495317
