If you’re still in the beginning stages of hiring or outsourcing work in your business, you probably think that having a project manager is a bit of a luxury. After all, most entrepreneurs start with a small team: a virtual assistant, a marketing coordinator, and maybe a copywriter. These individuals are certainly a worthwhile investment and I always advocate for outsourcing work to professionals whenever possible. However, there’s a good chance you also need to bring a project manager on board.
When you’re in the first five years of your business (and sometimes even beyond that), you spend a lot of time thinking about how you can cut your expenses and invest only in the things that are going to move the needle. ROI are your three favorite letters, and if you don’t see the payoff pretty quickly after you make an investment, you’re immediately looking for a different option that might work better.
In this blog, I want to challenge that and show you how a project manager can really help entrepreneurs who are just starting out. Are you ready?
The Value of a Project Manager
If you’re like most of the business owners I talk to on a regular basis, you’re really good at coming up with big ideas. You have the vision most people wish they had. However, you probably spend 90% of your day executing the smaller tasks required to run a business. You’re not actually working on all those big ideas you keep having! You might write them down somewhere so you don’t forget them, but at the end of the year when you pull out your list, you feel a sense of loss for all the ideas that you never acted on.
This is where a project manager can be a huge benefit for you. They can step in and take your big ideas and make them happen. No more waiting until the time is right to act. We both know the right time may never come! Finding a project manager who is competent, trustworthy, and dependable can really change the trajectory of your business. Instead of hustling and essentially treading water for an entire year, you can become an unstoppable force.
The “Problem” With Delegation
Gary Vaynerchuk (a media and communications guru and all-around inspiring human being) recently talked about the problem most people have with delegation. He said, “83 percent of someone else is better than 100 percent of just you.” What he’s saying is that the only way you can really scale your business is to make a choice to not be all-in on every task… even if it means letting go of control.
This concept is SO freaking hard for people to understand. Most business owners and visionaries find it nearly impossible to hand tasks over to someone else… especially if they think they can do the job better than anyone else can. However, that mindset will keep you from growing to that next level. When you cannot delegate work to other talented people because you’re afraid of what might happen, you’re playing small.
You only have so many hours in the day. You simply cannot do everything yourself. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) we can’t clone ourselves, so the only way to break through your current limitations is to build a team of people who can execute on your vision. The right project manager will work closely enough with you so you still feel involved and in control without draining your personal resources.
It’s All About Smart Investments
Spending money on a project manager is an investment just like renting a physical space to serve customers or hiring a tax professional to keep everything on the up and up financially. If you plan to grow your business, you’re going to have expenses. A project manager is not a luxury so long as you choose the right person; someone who is competent enough to help you accomplish your big-picture goals.
Just remember, you have to step up before you can step out. Success comes to those who think big and act accordingly. Want to learn more about how you can hire the right project manager and build a business that allows you to create a big impact? Drop me a message to set up a no-pressure discovery call so you can find out more about my process!