When you start a business, it can be tempting to do as much as you can by yourself. This would obviously save you money, but it’s not always just about the funds. It’s also about control. It’s about making sure you are in the know about every single aspect of your company. It’s about the achievement of having accomplished so much with your own two hands.
Photo via Visualhunt.com
But how much can you do by yourself? And what should you leave to other professionals? This will obviously depend on your own circumstance and experience.
Web Design and Development
Good websites are integral to success. But it’s not just about making sure they’re run okay. You need to ensure its quality from its design, to its first line of code, to its launch and throughout its lifespan.
The fact is that potential customers and clients care a lot about your website. It needs to be user-friendly, with sleek and easy navigation. It needs to pack a punch. People need to want to spend time on this website.
If you’re well-versed in web design and development, then this is a reasonable task to take on yourself. It really depends on the complexity of the website you’re aiming for. Designing and developing the website should not take time away from your other commitments. If you feel that hiring a new employee for this task is a bit much to begin with, consider outsourcing the web responsibilities.
Photo via flickr
Accounting and Financial Control
So you have some accounting experience, do you? Maybe you were the financial manager at your last office. Maybe your new company deals in finance. In that case, surely it makes sense for the boss to deal with all the accounts, bookkeeping, and taxes.
But hold it right there. That’s admirable and everything, but this kind of stuff is incredibly time-consuming. It doesn’t just begin and end with filing for initial taxes correctly (the old ‘sole trader vs limited liability’ discussion). Depending on how big your business gets, you could find yourself juggling way too many numbers. And you should really be keeping your head in other areas of the business!
Sinking your own teeth into the bookkeeping is something you should only do if you have a lot of experience. Otherwise, get an experienced friend or an accounting firm to help you out.
The Face of the Company
This involves a few areas. There’s the maintenance of clients and customers. There’s also the maintenance of your online presence. By online presence, I refer to your company’s presence on social media such as Twitter and Facebook. You need to consider those websites too, not just your own!
Ask yourself this question, and answer it honestly: Am I good with people? While many people go on about how important it is for a boss to be some social saint, it doesn’t always work out that way. A great boss could still be a little socially awkward and unconfident.
If you want to manage the company’s social media presence, that will certainly add a personal and authoritative touch to your posts. Likewise, speaking directly to customers and clients will make it clear that you care about them. But again, it’s all about making sure you still have time to focus on other areas. Consider hiring someone to perform community management. Better yet, get a focused sales or customer service department to deal with all of this!
