The Santa Barbara Web Design and Marketing Blog

In the ever-evolving world of business and technology, one of the most profound lessons you can learn as a business owner, leader, or entrepreneur is this: You want to hire people who play at the things that you have to work at. This principle doesn’t just apply to social media, web design, or the tech stack you use to run your business; it stretches into every department, function, and process where your time is better spent elsewhere or your expertise has limits. Let’s break down what this really means, why it matters, and how you can build a team that lets you thrive by focusing on your strengths and having others handle the rest.

Understanding the Concept: Work vs. Play

At first blush, the idea of “playing at what others work at” seems both simple and revolutionary. Each one of us has a unique set of talents, interests, and instincts. The things you enjoy and find easy are likely tough, tedious, or downright stressful for someone else—and vice versa. The core of successful delegation, outsourcing, and team building lies in recognizing this and acting on it.

Consider this scenario. You’re a business owner who excels at sales and strategy, but every time you have to update your website or manage a Facebook ad campaign, you feel lost, frustrated, and behind the curve. You grit your teeth, try to muddle through, and pour time into learning things that never truly click for you. Not only does your productivity suffer, but your energy and passion for your business can begin to diminish.

Now, imagine instead that you partnered with someone for whom social media is a playground, not a battlefield. Or you hired a web designer who can transform your site in a few hours, with a joy and efficiency you can hardly fathom. Suddenly, what used to be a hurdle is now a seamless part of your process—one that might even surpass what you thought was possible, simply because you have someone who doesn’t work at it, they play at it.

Why Delegate: Energy, Efficiency, and Expansion

The concept isn’t just about finding a shortcut; it’s fundamentally about leveraging energy and expertise for the growth and health of your business. When you delegate or outsource the areas that sap your energy, you preserve your reserves for the things that matter most to you—be it vision, connection, leadership, or whatever your business calls you to do best.

The Energy Drain of Struggling with Tech

Technology is a perfect example here. The landscape is always shifting—there’s a new tool, a new platform, a new algorithm, and a new best practice nearly every week. For some, this is exhilarating: they can’t wait to dive in, try new features, and optimize their processes. For others, it’s a source of continual stress and overwhelm. If you’re in the latter group, there’s no shame in that. In fact, recognizing it can be your greatest asset.

Trying to keep up with emerging technology, to integrate it seamlessly, and to manage it daily if it’s not your wheelhouse is not just hard—it’s often counterproductive. The more time and energy you spend wrestling with things outside your zone of genius, the less you have for the areas where you can make the biggest impact.

Efficiency Through the Right Team

Hiring, partnering with, or outsourcing to people who “play at” your work is not about abdicating responsibility; it’s about raising your overall efficiency and effectiveness as a business leader. You get more done, with higher quality, in less time. Your team members aren’t just filling a role—they’re thriving in it, bringing ideas and energy that turn technical or operational needs into business assets.

The Path to Expansion

As your business grows, your need for specialized expertise does, too. You can’t—and shouldn’t—do it all yourself. The founder’s trap (where the owner tries to micromanage every aspect of the business) is a well-documented path to stagnation or burnout.

Building your business so you can expand means constructing not just systems, but also teams—real people who can own parts of the process and drive fulfillment in ways you never could alone. Your growth is directly tied to your willingness and ability to let go of what you struggle with and invite in those for whom it’s second nature.

The Practical Steps: How to Find and Hire The Right People

So how do you actually put this principle into action? Here’s a clear, step-by-step guide to help you move from theory to practice.

1. Identify Your Core Strengths—and Weaknesses

Start with a candid assessment of what truly brings you energy and where your skills shine. Equally important is noting what frustrates or drains you, where you consistently struggle to deliver at the level you want, or what simply doesn’t click.

Are you energized when talking to customers, but lose steam when fiddling with your website? Are you a big thinker, but get bogged down in day-to-day social media management? Map it out.

2. Categorize What Needs to Be Done

Next, make a comprehensive list of all the ongoing and important tasks in your business—everything from marketing and technology to administration and customer service.

Divide this list into three columns:

- Things you love and are great at

- Things you can do, but drain you

- Things you struggle with, dislike, or avoid

3. Prioritize Based On Impact

Within your “drain” and “struggle” columns, highlight the tasks that have the biggest impact on your business or are the most time-consuming. These should be your first candidates for delegation or outsourcing.

4. Source the Right Talent

There are several ways to bring new skills and energy into your business:

a. Hire Employees:

If you have ongoing needs and the budget, hiring staff can provide reliability and deep integration with your processes.

b. Outsource to Experts or Agencies:

For specialized tasks or one-off projects, working with specialists or agencies gives you high-level expertise without the overhead.

c. Partner or Collaborate:

Sometimes, a win-win partnership can emerge with another business or independent contractor who has strengths where you have weaknesses.

When looking for the right person, prioritize not just experience or a technical match, but enthusiasm. You want someone who truly enjoys the work you need done—not someone who’s just competent but indifferent.

5. Structure Mutually Beneficial Deals

It’s natural to worry about the cost of hiring out work, especially in the early stages. But remember, the goal is to structure deals that make sense financially and return value to your business.

Start by defining clear deliverables, timelines, and expectations. Where possible, tie compensation to results, not just hours worked. Many contractors or partners are open to creative fee structures if it means working on something they love—or with a business that values their talents.

6. Build Systems and Processes

Don’t just hire people and hope for the best. Take the time to build out clear systems and workflows around their roles. This not only reduces confusion and headaches but frees you up to stay out of the weeds.

For example, set up a shared project management system (like Trello, Asana, or ClickUp) for both your web designer and your social media contractor. Agree on recurring communication rhythms, reporting standards, and escalation paths for issues.

7. Review, Refine, and Grow

Your needs will change as your business grows, and so will your team structure. Regularly review which tasks you’re still doing that you shouldn’t be, and which systems and people are (or aren’t) working. Don’t be afraid to iterate.

Common Barriers to Delegating Tech and Marketing Tasks (And How to Overcome Them)

Many business owners intellectually understand the value of focusing on their strengths, yet they still struggle to give up control over things like their website, their tech stack, or their social media. Here are some of the biggest barriers, and strategies for overcoming them:

1. “No One Will Care Like I Do”

It’s true: No one will care about your business exactly like you do. But the right people will care deeply about delivering outstanding work on the areas they specialize in—because that’s what they love and are proud of.

The solution: Hire for passion and drive, not just technical ability. Provide context and inclusion, and set a high bar with clear communication and feedback.

2. “I Can’t Afford It”

Consider the opportunity cost of you doing $20/hr work when you could be generating $100/hr value elsewhere. Often, the expense of hiring out a task is far less than the lost opportunities and burnout you risk by keeping it on your plate.

If funds are truly tight, start small. Outsource just your blog posts, your email newsletter, or your monthly tech maintenance. As results and revenue grow, expand your delegation.

3. “It Takes Too Long To Train People—Easier To Just Do It Myself”

This is a short-term mindset that keeps businesses small. Yes, there’s an onboarding curve, and at first it might feel like a slog. But that’s a one-time investment; the returns (in time, energy, and scalability) compound over time.

Use documentation, video walkthroughs, and recurring check-ins to speed up the learning curve and build institutional knowledge.

4. “I Won’t Know What’s Going On”

Transparency and oversight matter, but they don’t require micromanagement. Weekly reports, dashboards, standing meetings, and KPIs (key performance indicators) can keep you informed without you having to be the doer.

The Role of Tech in Modern Business

Let’s talk specifically about technology. The tech stack of even the smallest business can now include a website, CRM, email marketing tool, social platforms, autoresponders, payment processing, analytics, and more. Each tool has a learning curve. Each update brings new features, bugs, or integration challenges.

You don’t have to be a tech expert, but you do need a tech system and a tech person. For some, this is a go-to freelancer or agency; for others, it might be a part-time tech manager or a savvy team member. The point isn’t who fills the seat—the point is someone fills it, so you don’t have to.

Having a go-to for technology also gives you an edge: you can adopt new tools and strategies ahead of competitors who are still stuck Googling “how to fix WordPress error in 2024.”

Building The System: Assemble Your Team

Ultimately, business success is about people. The more you understand who you need, rather than just what needs to be done, the easier it is to build a system that runs itself.

Think like a film director. You need to set the vision, but you don’t need to be the lighting designer, the sound engineer, or the editor. When you assemble the right team where each person is playing to their strengths, the magic happens. Your website gets built—and updated—without drama. Your social media attracts leads even when you’re sleeping. Your systems run smoothly because someone else is watching them.

Conclusion: Play To Your Strengths, Hire To Your Weaknesses

Running a business, especially in today’s tech-driven world, is challenging enough. The key is to focus your time, energy, and passion on the things that matter most and where you add the most value. For everything else, seek out people who “play at” those very tasks.

Let go of trying to be a jack-of-all-trades. Build your systems around people who love (and are great at) what you struggle with. Not only will your business grow faster, but you’ll also rediscover the joy, freedom, and creativity that inspired you to start in the first place.

So whether you need a social media manager who lives for likes, a web wizard who codes for fun, or a tech support guru who genuinely gets a kick out of troubleshooting, go out and build your dream team. When everyone is playing to their strengths, business gets not just easier, but more fun—and isn’t that the point?

That’s the real power of hiring people who play at the things you have to work at. Let them bring their joy, so you can bring yours. Your business, your clients, and your peace of mind will thank you for it.