Lately I have been practicing extreme gratitude for the entrepreneur lifestyle and the evolution of Bourn Creative – even more so than usual.

Just a few years ago, I was working 16 hours days, 7 days a week, and trying to do it all on my own. I was never able to quit early, take a day off, or unplug from my business – It owned me.

I had no balance between my personal life and my business.

Fast forward to today – I now have a team and a partner (Brian) who is my project manager and workflow manager. We’re really starting to notice how the changes we have made to the business are affecting our personal lives.

This year:

• I can leave the office for a vacation or conference without pulling multiple all-nighters to get ready or bringing work with me!
• We’re working normal business hours and we have way more time to play together with the kids! Everyone in our family is more relaxed and we’re all happier!
• When friends or family need me, I can drop everything, shut down the office, and be there (and be present) for them, without constantly worrying about work.
• When I came down with a summer flu and horrible head cold this week, I was able to shut down and go to bed at noon to take care of myself. Sounds crazy, I know. But before, I would have had to work right through it.
• We’ve narrowed our services and our ideal clients so much that I now spend all of my time in my area of brilliance, which is way more fun and rewarding for both myself and our clients.
• We’ve invested a lot of time and energy into all aspects of the Bourn Creative brand, and now we’re able to be really choosy with whom we work.
• We made the decision to not grow the business into an agency. Instead we made the decision to remain a small, high-end, boutique-style branding and Web design firm to maintain our family’s freedom.

This week someone close to me has been going through some “stuff” and the other night it struck me – If I had a traditional job, I wouldn’t have been able to be there for her. If I hadn’t have taken action to work on my business and make changes, I still wouldn’t have been able to be there for her – because I never used to have work life balance.

This week, I want you to think about how your business – how being an entrepreneur – has changed or improved your life. Spend time being thankful for the lifestyle you are creating. Also spend time thinking about the areas of your business that need to be worked on. Look for places you can improve so instead of it getting in the way of your life, it supports your life.

I love what I do and feel blessed to be able to do it every day. But at the same time, I understand that life’s what you make it. In the end, you’re never going to look back and say, “Gee, I wish I worked more.”

The problem control freaks face is delegation. You know you should be delegating more. You know that delegating administrative tasks could help your business, let alone your work/life balance. You understand that you can’t grow your business if you’re busy with minimum wage tasks.

Small business owners can delegate more, yet most don’t delegate like they should. Why?

Money. Even though delegating work would allow you to make more money, you don’t delegate because you don’t feel like you have the money to spend.

If money is the issue, look for an college student who needs to complete an internship for course credit, or ask a family member to help out temporarily.

Control. Even though you know that someone else could get the job done right, you don’t delegate because they might not do it your way.

If control is the issue, decide what you must do and decide what you can live with if it is done differently or less than perfect.

Time. Even though you know that delegation would free you up to focus on bringing in more new business, you put it off because you don’t have the proper systems set up and you don’t want to take the time to train someone.

If time is the issue, look for someone who is already doing the job you want them to do for someone else. Tell them you don’t have a process in place and ask them to create a documented process for you.

If you can relate to one of the above statements – or all of them, don’t worry! I used to be in your shoes! The secret to successful delegation for me was to start small and take baby steps. I didn’t try to delegate all of my administrative work all at once. I started with one task at a time.

If you’re having trouble figuring out what you should delegate in your small business, here is a list of 132 things small business owners can delegate:

1. Assembling Information Packets
2. Assembling Press Kits
3. Assembling Presentations
4. Backing Up My Marketing List
5. Backing Up My Website And Database
6. Booking Guests For My Radio Show
7. Booking Radio Show Interviews
8. Booking Speaking Opportunities
9. Bookkeeping
10. Bookmarking My Content On Social Bookmarking Sites
11. Checking My Mail
12. Checking Voicemail
13. Content Repurposing
14. Coordinating Networking Events
15. Copywriting Sales Pages
16. Creating A Custom Tab For My Facebook Page
17. Creating A Marketing Plan
18. Creating A Procedures Manual
19. Creating Forms
20. Creating Information Products
21. Creating Mailing Labels
22. Creating Opt-In Boxes For Teleclasses, Webinars, And Special Promotions
23. Creating Surveys And Questionnaires
24. Customer Support
25. Data Entry
26. Deliveries
27. Designing 3d Information Product Graphics
28. Designing Ebooks
29. Designing Home Study Systems
30. Designing Marketing Materials
31. Designing My Facebook Graphics
32. Designing My Twitter Background
33. Designing My Youtube Background
34. Designing Online Advertisements
35. Designing Special Reports
36. Designing My Website
37. Designing My Business Cards
38. Designing My Powerpoint Presentations
39. Designing Flyers And Handouts
40. Distributing Press Releases
41. Fixing Broken Links And Creating Redirects
42. Follow Up
43. Document Formatting
44. Email Newsletter Formatting
45. Gathering Testimonials
46. Grocery Shopping
47. Housekeeping
48. Invoicing Clients
49. Keeping Track Of Meeting Minutes And Documentation For Legal Entities
50. Laundry
51. Maintaining My Database
52. Making Bank Deposits
53. Making Travel Arrangements
54. Managing A Product Launch
55. Managing Advertising Efforts
56. Managing Client Appreciation Campaigns
57. Managing Google Adwords And Pay Per Click Advertising
58. Booking Guests For Teleseminars
59. Managing Link Building Campaigns
60. Managing Monthly Marketing Promotions
61. Managing Affiliate Marketing
62. Managing My Blog Feed
63. Managing Contacts
64. Managing Domain Names
65. Managing My Facebook Page
66. Managing Joint Venture Projects
67. Managing My Marketing List
68. Managing My Podcast
69. Managing My Team
70. Managing Onsite Sales At Events
71. Managing Printing Of Marketing Materials And Handouts
72. Managing Teleclasses
73. Managing User Names And Passwords
74. Managing Webinars
75. Media Relations
76. Moderating Blog Comments And Deleting Spam Comments
77. Optimizing Social Media Profiles
78. Optimizing My Website
79. Optimizing Videos
80. Organizing Files
81. Paying Bills
82. Payment Processing
83. Payroll
84. Picking Up The Dry Cleaning
85. Planning Logistics For My Events
86. Posting Evergreen Content Posts To My Social Networking Profiles
87. Preparing Handouts
88. Preparing Powerpoint Presentations
89. Processing Affiliate Payments
90. Project Management
91. Proofreading
92. Publishing Blog Articles
93. Publishing Videos On Youtube
94. Purchasing Office Supplies
95. Putting Together Proposals
96. Reconciling Bank Accounts
97. Registering New Domain Names
98. Research
99. Researching Statistics And Facts For Articles And Presentations
100. Reviewing And Creating Website Analytics Reports
101. Reviewing Potential Haro Opportunities
102. Scheduling Appointments
103. Screening Email, Deleting Spam Messages, And Responding To General Inquiries
104. Sending My Email Newsletter
105. Sending New Estimates
106. Sending Thank You Notes
107. Sending Holiday Cards
108. Sending Client Appreciation And Thank You Gifts
109. Sending My Email Newsletter
110. Setting Up My Email Marketing Account
111. Setting Up My Shopping Cart
112. Setting Up Social Networking Accounts
113. Setting Up Social Bookmarking Accounts
114. Submitting Articles To Article Marketing Sites
115. Technical Support
116. Tracking Shipments
117. Transcribing Audio Recordings
118. Transcribing Videos
119. Typesetting
120. Updating My Resume
121. Updating My Social Networking Profiles
122. Updating Website Content
123. Video Editing
124. Working With A Fulfillment House
125. Writing Articles
126. Writing Autoresponders
127. Writing Blog Posts
128. Writing E-Books
129. Writing Press Releases
130. Writing Social Media Posts
131. Writing Special Reports
132. Yard Maintenance



Why? Because you never know when you’re going to (get your mind out of the gutter) get in an accident or experience some horrible health issue that results in calling 911.

Just think of it my friend told me, “You get in a horrible car wreck, a bunch of cute firemen come to your rescue, and for some reason your clothes have to be cut off, or they are badly ripped. Do you really want them or anyone to see you in gross, old underwear? No way! You want them to see you in sexy underwear, so even at your worst, you look great!”

Now, my husband is a fire captain and believe me, I have heard some stories that reinforce why you should follow this advice. But, as odd as it may be, this advice applies to your business too!

Your underwear doesn’t really have an impact on anyone except:

• Those who see it like your spouse or your boyfriend or girlfriend. They appreciate it and it makes a difference in their day (or night).
• Yourself. Admit it. When you’re wearing great underwear, you feel sexy and confident all day. You may even feel a little more powerful and sassy.

Your business operates the same way.

Your admin systems and processes run behind the scenes where no one can see them. No one else really cares about your business systems and processes except:

• Those who experience them like your clients and partners. They appreciate the easy flow, streamlined service, and detailed approach systems and processes provide it a business.
• Yourself. Admit it. When you’ve got a plan, your admin is up to date, and your systems and processes are running smoothly, you feel great. You may even feel more confident, more powerful, and more relaxed.

So, even though the public and your target market can’t see them, make sure you always wear nice underwear and make sure your business systems and processes are well planned and running smoothly. I promise that it will make the emergencies, when they do happen, a little more bearable and easier to get through.

What do you think? Have you received similar advice?