Effective Delegation as a Small Business Owner (3 Questions I'm Asking Now That My Team Is Fully Autonomous)

What happens when you build a small business team so good they don't need you anymore?

This year has been a shock to my identity.

For the past 6 years of owning this sweet gourmet marshmallow business, it has taken up most of my life. Plenty of times, too much. Some stretches, just enough. And now, for the first time ever... it doesn't feel like it's taking up enough?! Which is wild. Because we're busier than ever.

Here's the thing: my incredible team--Katelyn, Thea, Sally & Steve--have the day-to-day completely handled. (I am literally so lucky.) Unless someone's sick, needs training on something niche, or it's fall-iday season (Sept–Dec), they genuinely don't need me. My time in the kitchen has gone from need-to-have to nice-to-have. And most of the time, any project I pick up is just taking an opportunity away from someone else.

When this transition is feeling particularly uncomfortable, I'm thinking about all the business owners I've worked for who drove me absolutely NUTS by being too involved. When I was a junior employee and the CEO was micromanaging my work.

And then I'm thinking about a quote from an owner I LOVED working for:

"You have to give your talent so much authority that you cringe. If I'm not cringing three times per day per department, I haven't delegated enough control." - Stefania Mallet, ezCater

I'm trying reallyyy hard to stay in my lane--support, creative vision & direction, marketing, profitability, brand--and genuinely not touch anything else unless asked. 🙂

This is a rare, incredible accomplishment. A huge blessing as a small business owner. And it has unlocked a brand new set of challenges:

♡ How do I stay connected to my team if I'm not in the trenches every single day?

♡ What does it actually look like to have full-time availability for working on the business instead of in it?

♡ WHO EVEN AM I outside of owner/operator of Vermont Marshmallow Co.?

Figuring allllll of that out in real time. And feeling extremely grateful for how DANG UNCOMFY this is.