Start with tasks that are repetitive, documentable and low-judgment — not with the work you most dislike.
The most common delegation mistake is handing off the task you hate most. The task you hate is usually the one requiring the most context, which makes it the worst possible first handoff.
Start with work that is repetitive, documentable, and does not require judgment calls only you can make.
1. Inbound call and message triage
Someone answering within the hour and capturing name, address and job type beats you returning calls at nine at night. Triage, not quoting.
2. Scheduling and confirmations
Appointment setting, day-before confirmations, reschedule handling. Rules-based and almost entirely free of judgment once the rules are written down.
3. Invoicing and payment follow-up
Sending invoices on a schedule and chasing the ones that age past thirty days. Owners are reliably bad at this because it feels like nagging. It is not.
4. Supplier and materials ordering
Reordering against a standing list, tracking deliveries, flagging price changes.
5. Review requests and basic follow-up
A templated request after every completed job. Low risk, compounding return.
What not to delegate first
- Pricing and estimating — judgment, and the thing most likely to lose money
- Anything requiring a licence or certification you hold
- The first conversation with an unhappy customer
Write it down before you hand it over
Every one of these transfers cleanly only if the process exists in writing first. A placement that fails in month one almost always failed because documentation did not exist, not because the person was wrong.