We’ve all heard the advice: You need to be delegating. Hire a team with people who compliment you. You can’t – and shouldn’t – be the person who knows all the answers. But I want to challenge you to consider that maybe, doing everything in your business – at least for a time – is actually a good thing. Today, we’re flipping the script and exploring how wearing all the hats can help you scale faster and become a better leader.
Why Delegating Isn’t Always the Answer
You Learn How Your Business Works
If you’re a business owner who understands the different components of your business—whether it’s marketing, finance, operations, or systems—it’ll make you a more powerful leader. Why? Because having first-hand knowledge of how everything works and how each piece fits together makes you more informed and more capable of making smart decisions.
Understanding your business inside and out also leads to quicker scaling, a healthier business culture, and a more cohesive team. When you’ve had exposure to each role, you can guide your team more effectively, knowing the specific challenges they face and how to address them.
My Experience with Learning It All
I previously worked in multiple corporate jobs, but there was one particular job I had for 15 years that helped me learn how to do everything.
I started by working as customer service for a laboratory equipment company. Immediately, I wondered: How am I going to speak to researchers who are doing cancer research and infectious disease research, especially when I had hated every single math and science class I ever took?
The answer? I had to learn. I taught myself about electrophoresis (a process for separating DNA), memorized product SKUs, and began to understand how all the pieces fit together. Once I learned that, I was tasked with creating an inventory system to help move $3 million of molecular biology equipment from Philadelphia to Maryland. At first, I had no idea how I’d do it – but I used what I knew from retail inventory to figure it out.
I ended up working in almost every department: customer service, marketing, inventory, finance, and operations. My understanding of each of these came from the ground up – and in the end, I worked my way up from customer service to the director of operations.
Why This Matters for Your Business
If I would’ve believed back then that I couldn’t work in these departments because I wasn’t smart enough or I wasn’t good at math, I wouldn’t have gotten to learn everything I did. I learned how each piece of the business worked and how interconnected businesses are – and this knowledge helped me start my own business down the road.
If you understand how all the pieces of a business fit together, it’s not a disservice. It’s empowering—but only if you eventually let go and bring in the right people to help you grow.
Why Doing Everything in Your Business is a Good Thing
As a business owner or leader, you will naturally wear many hats in the early stages of business. You might be the marketing person, the customer service rep, the bookkeeper, and more.
Here are 5 reasons why doing everything in your business in the beginning is actually a good thing:
1. You Set a Foundation You Can Build On
In the beginning, you’re probably the one doing everything—and that’s okay! It’s how you build a foundation for your business. No matter how simple the foundation might be, it’s essential because it’s something you can grow from.
When I started in customer service, I was the only one on the team. But eventually, we grew and I was leading in customer service. As we added more people, the foundation I had set became the basis for a bigger, more efficient division.
2. You Troubleshoot More Effectively
Once you’ve laid that foundation and begin to delegate, you’ll be in a better position to troubleshoot problems as they arise. When something goes wrong, you won’t be clueless about how things work. Instead, you’ll be able to quickly diagnose the issue and find a solution.
3. You Build Respect with Your Team
Knowing the ins and outs of your business allows you to have those hard conversations with your team. When things aren’t working, you can step in and say, “I know this isn’t going right, but here’s how we’re going to fix it.” Your team will respect you for understanding their struggles and having the knowledge to lead them through it.
4. You Start to See New Perspectives
As you grow, your team will feel comfortable sharing their perspectives with you, and you’ll be able to see challenges and opportunities in ways you couldn’t have before. Without that foundational understanding, it becomes difficult to adapt and innovate.
5. You Shift Your Business Paradigm
If you want to scale, it requires doing things differently—thinking differently. Just because something worked when your business was small doesn’t mean it will work as you grow. Processes need to evolve, and sometimes, so do the people and partners you work with.
Knowing how your business operates on every level gives you the foundation to build upon. But in order to scale, you need to be willing to shift and adapt.
Why Doing Everything in Essential to Delegating and Scaling Faster
The most valuable lesson I’ve learned is that everything can be figured out. Whether you’re a new business owner or a seasoned leader, I hope you believe that too. You can figure out how all the pieces fit together. You can figure out delegating and scaling. But you can’t hold onto everything forever.
Building a strong business requires a strong foundation, yes, but it also requires flexibility. As you scale, allow yourself to step into a leadership role. Teach others, delegate, and build a team that can help you take your business to the next level.
What’s your biggest takeaway from this? I’d love to hear your story in the comments or in a review!
Resources Mentioned
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