Tell me more ×
Answers OnStartups is a question and answer site for entrepreneurs looking to start or run a new business. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 7 down vote favorite
4

I am looking for examples of tasks that you have successfully delegated to others - be it either in house staff, virtual assistants or outsourcing.

share|improve this question
Erm - not sure how this is off topic. Most startups are under extreme time pres. (unlimited amount to do and limited time to do it) so its a genuine q to see what other people have had success with. Mods do as you see fit though. – Ryan Jan 12 '12 at 16:55
1  
Maybe reword your question about the nature of tasks to be delegated instead of a laundry list of tasks. – JeffO Jan 14 '12 at 16:21
Jeff KO, I see your point and it fits better with Q/A model here but I was hoping for examples to give inspiration rather than more abstract answer. I've marked your answer though - this Q was probably better for a discussion forum. – Ryan Jan 17 '12 at 12:02

4 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

Know the difference between delegating and abdicating.

  1. Any task you don't have the ability to do.
  2. A task you know how to do so well that you can teach someone else quickly, they already know how to do it and have an easy way to monitor it without taking too much of your time.
  3. Privacy is not a an issue and the person performing the task is at the professional level to be trusted.
  4. Your liability for having do something dangerous (Change your own flat on a busy highway or call a tow truck.).
  5. Don't delegate tasks where you have some ridiculous standard that someone else can only meet if they read your mind (see #2).
  6. Tasks that for some reason have to be done at a time that prevents you from doing your core work. Don't go to the post office during times you could be meeting with potential customers.
share|improve this answer
up vote 4 down vote

Bookkeeping and the tax stuff to my tax adviser.

I'm unsure on how important that is on other countries but here (in Germany) its incredible important. My first self employment nearly tipped over because I tried to do it myself.

Its important to look for a tax adviser that also does bookkeeping so you can just dump your papers there and leave it to them. They tell you what they need as input (the correct form and timing) and supply you with the information you need on your general finance situation.

Here in Germany the prices for tax advisers are set by government AND tax advisers are legally prohibited from doing advertising (though they can promote themselves on meetings etc.) so to find the fitting one is kind of tricky. You should define what you want from them to do and then ask some if they do so. (If you already know someone who says his adviser is good and fits your need, take the recommended one, its seldom a bad idea.)

Generally speaking, the less clue you have, the more experienced your tax adviser has to be, my current one is a startup-tax-adviser herself and if I would have worked with her when I first looked for a tax-adviser I would have messed it up because she doesn't yet has this calming effect on me as my first tax-adviser had.

Another thing should be that you can reach them with YOUR favorite method of communication. If you communicate by email but they want you to bring your papers personally than don't work with them.

share|improve this answer
up vote 2 down vote

Testing / QA to a small offshore company

Has worked really well for me as its

  • Defined task
  • Not a steady volume of work - lot of hours but only a few times of the year.
  • Definite benefit to having someone outside the normal development review something - like proof reading your own writing.
  • Tedious!

Tips

  • Don't give too rigid a test script (though you can have a regression test list as well) otherwise they will then just test it in the same way that you test it and will be less likely to find things that you miss.

  • Try and find a firm that can put the same people on the job each time so they build up knowledge of your product.

share|improve this answer
what was the approximate cost? – Paul Cezanne Jan 12 '12 at 16:27
USD 15 p/h - not 'cheap' but I've been using them for well over a year now and I see great value. – Ryan Jan 12 '12 at 16:35
Can you contact me offline? email is in my profile. Thanks! – Paul Cezanne Jan 12 '12 at 16:42
Any explanation for the downvote? Not going to take offence as its your prerogative, just puzzled is all. – Ryan Jan 12 '12 at 16:49
1  
@PaulCezanne Emails are private. Only you and the mods can see your email. You can test this by logging out and then viewing your profile. If you want to make your email public you need to place it in the about section of your profile. The website field is public, though. – Zuly Gonzalez♦ Jan 13 '12 at 5:51
show 2 more comments
up vote 2 down vote

I delegate a lot of writing and SEO to virtual assistants. Those tasks are the ones that have given me the greatest ROI.

share|improve this answer

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.