Letting Go Of The “Sheer Determination” Approach
Like lots of you, I’ve always been a go-getter. A self-starter. A perfectionist…
That’s a big reason why we’re able to get a successful business off the ground.
In general—and especially in business—I’ve struggled with anything that’s not possible through sheer determination. Try hard enough, Google enough times, invest enough energy and you’ll figure it out.
But I’m coming to learn that in entrepreneurship, that’s not scalable or sustainable. It’s also not a generous use of your brain, skills, money, or emotional capacity.
The solution: outsourcing. That big, scary, exciting, “sophisticated” thing we hear so much about, but drag our heels so hard on.
I know that SO many business owners have wishlists of things they want to get “off their plate,” people they want to work with, services they want to invest in. (Maybe my Messages That Matter VIP Day or Quick Win Consulting Calls are even on your list!)
We also hear about money being neutral—just an exchange of energy and power. And in these past month or 2 of really investing in my business and my mental bandwidth, it hasn’t felt like I’m bleeding money. It’s felt like it’s flowing out of me, getting me closer to where I want to go. (Talk about a shift—I tend to hold onto money for dear life. Which can be prudent, but only gets me so far.) I also love that I’m investing in other women’s businesses, which gets them closer to their goals too.
***Note: I’m NEVER an advocate for spending money you don’t have. You need to take care of you and your needs first. But when you get a bit of wiggle room, I’m slooooowly discovering how good it feels to invest back into your business, and yourself by extension.
The Context
January was my fullest month EVER, both in terms of client work and business backend.
I did 3 brand messaging strategy VIP days, beta tested my Day of Consulting, wrote 2 bios for existing clients, ran 2 brand values sessions with leadership teams, facilitated a brand values workshop, co-created a group intensive (happening Feb 16!), hosted Melissa to share about the power of YouTube*, and even managed to network a little.
On the business building and personal side, I started Yellow Co’s Guidance Groups, worked with a podcast launch strategist and did a VIP Day (as a client) with an offer alignment strategist, hired an accountant, hired 2 part-time babysitters, coordinated a short-term podcast management for marketing consulting swap. And of course, cared for baby girl.
So…lots of moving parts. And outsourcing has been such a breath of fresh air that keeps me going.
Creative Examples of Outsourcing in Business (and Life)
The way I see it, there are 2 reasons to outsource: to save time or because someone else could do the job way better than you. Or often, some combo of both.
Outsourcing doesn’t have to be anything big, long-term, or expensive. My journey has definitely been the approach where you get into a cold pool of water 1 inch at a time, waiting to acclimate, rather than jumping right in and hoping your body catches up. But you do you.
1. Home/Personal Life
1️⃣ I mentioned I have a house cleaner since over a year ago. I was very pregnant, very overworked, and very ready to stop scrubbing every square inch of my house. And honestly, zero regrets. She’s lovely, dependable, affordable, and gives me back 2 hours of my life every other Saturday.
(Actually, it saves me way more than that because I would be doing a [slightly] more thorough job. The house isn’t quiiiiite as clean as if I were to do it myself, but I’ve accepted it, which feels like massive progress compared past versions of me.)
Outsourcing my housecleaning has been one of the biggest reliefs to my mental load and I’d probably be willing to pay double just for this peace of mind.
2️⃣ We also have a financial advisor, who’s on call when I have questions about my Solo 401k and fractional real estate investing and CDs and the new 529 law and ALL THE THINGS. (I’m a bit of a personal finance nerd, but also feel like despite all my research, I’ve only scratched the surface.)
3️⃣ And then childcare—family, paid, swaps, whatever works—is ESSENTIAL for you parents. Or caregiving on any front for family or pets or anyone you’re responsible for.
➡️ I’ve also seen people outsource their laundry, their yard, their cooking, pet grooming/walking. Or work with personal trainers, nutritionists, whole house managers(?!), etc. We’re real humans building businesses here, so getting this personal support can really boost your ability to be that CEO you want to be.
2. Strategists
You [hopefully] know that I do values-aligned brand messaging strategy and related consulting. I LOVE that my clients trust me to take a peek behind the scenes of their businesses and hear everything that’s in their head and heart. But until recently, I hadn’t really invested in strategy at the same level I ask my clients to.
I did an ops strategy swap last year and was part of a group program at the very end of 2021. (She doesn’t offer the program currently, but she has a new challenge*, which I’ll share more about below!)
But this year is different. I don’t want to struggle through. I want to power ahead.
1️⃣ With my podcast, I decided to work with a podcast launch strategist. More than anything, hiring a podcast launch strategist has held me accountable. I KNOW I would have gotten distracted or prioritized other things if I hadn’t committed to going through this process with someone else.
The podcast would have existed eventually. It just would have been a lot slower and a lot more stressful as I got in my own way…like, a July release instead of a February launch. (In case you missed it, the trailer is live and the first 3 episodes drop FEBRUARY 14!)
2️⃣ And I worked with an offer/launch/business strategist because I knew I had all the pieces, I could just feel they weren’t matching up. Which is important, because I want as much impact as possible and as much revenue as possible. And of course, the two go hand-in-hand.
From that VIP Day, I have:
- a really clear pathway for all the different ways my dream clients can work with me and continue to work with me (which was missing before)
- a better, more intentional picture of just who that ideal client is, thanks to a deep empathy mapping exercise
- inspiration to create a whole new lead magnet that’s better aligned with my offer suite (Will share more when it’s live!)
- the beginnings of a mini-launch system that feels so much more flexible and intuitive than past models I’ve seen
- an EPIPHANY about how to work with teams and larger companies through *values-aligned leadership* (in addition to the solopreneur online business owners that I LOVE)
➡️ I talk a lot about getting outside perspective, but now I’m 100% sure how key it is to growing your business. WE ARE JUST TOO CLOSE TO IT ALL.
That explains why 2 branding pros and 1 comms person hired me last year to collaborate on their brand messaging strategy. They know their stuff. They even do a lot of the same strategy work with clients (with their own twist).
But they also knew they needed someone else to validate their ideas, ask tough questions, and find the common threads. I love being that someone.
3. Implementers
When our basement flooded last year, we were gonna go the DIY route. (By we, I mean my husband fixing everything and me project managing/being quality control/making him angry in the process.) And we (he) probably could have muddled through. But instead, we hired someone to patch the drywall, lay down tiles, and paint. We didn’t even know what we didn’t know and he did it a LOT better, faster, and potentially even less expensive (when you account for mistakes) than we could have.
The same applies to business.
1️⃣ I send off my taxes to get filed by a CPA every year. (Hopefully this is the year that finally sticks…it’s been a saga.)
2️⃣ I had someone research hashtags and set up/migrate my MailerLite*. I wasn’t ready to commit to a full retainer, but these 2 projects were hugely helpful.
3️⃣ I did a swap for Quickbooks setup in exchange for consulting on a lead magnet and podcast pitching.
4️⃣ For the past year+, I’ve had someone scheduling (NOT drafting) my social posts and updating (again, NOT writing) my blog and speaker’s page.
5️⃣ And I’ve just taken someone on so I can spend less time formatting, setting up, tracking, etc. And more time creating, connecting, and strategizing.
➡️ For you, this might look like getting a bookkeeper to keep you out of the weeds, a graphic designer so you’re not tinkering in Canva, a web developer, a copywriter, a Dubsado setup specialist (or auditor), or any other one-off or ongoing service you don’t want or shouldn’t be doing.
4. Community
Sometimes you need to outsource supporting yourself, or crowdsource energy and ideas. Finding a community of people around you—from business memberships to therapists to parent meetups to religious groups to hobby forums—makes such a difference.
That’s why I joined a peer mentorship group. That’s why I make time for networking. And that’s one of the goals of my podcast (for myself and listeners).
Choose Your Own Adventure
All this to say, outsourcing doesn’t—and shouldn’t—look the same for all of us. But there comes a point where we all need it.
You’re smart and strong and can absolutely go it alone. But that doesn’t mean you should or need to.
I think I would have made more money if I had invested in my business sooner. At the very least, I think I would have been less stressed along the way.
Outsourcing doesn’t always work out. But often the act of investing in yourself and your business is that motivation you finally need to create those SOPs or sit down and map out your ideal audience or simply create the time and space to imagine what’s possible for a second.
I’d love to know your experience with outsourcing—the good, the bad, and the just plain weird!
This is an excerpt from Toward Purpose & Progress, my newsletter where I share business tips, good news, shoutouts to Founder Friends, and other juicy snippets. Subscribe here for more rants, reflections, and resources.
*affiliate link
