5 female founders on how they learned to delegate - and how it redefined their businesses

• Dreamers & Doers is a networking community of female entrepreneurs, creatives, and founders.
• While some people may be hesitant to outsource important tasks, these 5 founders say having a support team is crucial.
• Having a dependable team to manage certain duties can free up your time to focus on big picture business needs.

It's no surprise that a founder of a growing company typically works closely on each area of business - from marketing to accounting and everything in between. After all, they cultivated their company's growth from the ground up. However, when a founder is pulled into areas they don't necessarily need to have a hand in, they lose precious time needed to be the true visionary for their business.

One solution to this challenge is outsourcing. While some founders may be initially hesitant to pass the reins, the benefits often far outweigh the potential risk. For the following five female founders, outsourcing positively impacted their businesses and allowed them to effectively scale, operate in their zone of genius, and ultimately, succeed.

As Rhea Wong, founder of Rhea Wong Consulting put it, "By designing and planning around your own gifts and superpowers, you set yourself up for growth and sustainability." The end results of outsourcing are exciting and limitless - one must simply take the leap and trust the process.

'Delegating is easier when I know I have a strong team behind me'

Meha Agrawal is the founder and CEO of Silk + Sonder, a subscription-based mental wellness journaling experience that is rooted in self-care and community.

As a startup, it's easy to feel like you want to be in the weeds with your team, figuring things out, and sharing your thoughts on every part of the business. But I've found that putting in the time to find the best talent, the best fit for a role, and trusting that person is the biggest delegation tip you need. Putting in the work when you're recruiting and hiring ensures you can place that trust in your staff to make decisions and complete tasks in a way that best aligns with the business.

I'm constantly growing and evolving as a founder and leader of my team. That growth is particularly rewarding to me because I now get to learn how to manage different personalities, extract the best from everyone, and ensure that everyone feels motivated and energized by their contributions. I'm building a team that I trust to get the work done, and that makes delegating that much easier when I know I have a strong team behind me.

'Bringing minds together creates a more creative environment ... and better end product'

Jia Wertz is the founder of Studio 15, a socially-conscious fashion brand.

As a Type A personality, and someone who likes to do things myself, delegation hasn't always come easy. I naturally lean toward doing things myself, and have to constantly remind myself that if I try and do it all myself, things won't get done as efficiently and I'll fall behind.

One delegation tip that has been most impactful in my work is to identify the tasks that I have to perform repetitively, and that don't necessarily require my skill set in order to effectively accomplish. I then hire the right people to delegate those tasks to. For example, if I have to do a lot of PR outreach, it makes most sense for me to create the pitch deck and write an effective email template, then hire a PR associate to handle researching which journalists to send the pitches to and personalize the email template for each recipient. This way I know the branding and messaging is consistent, but it takes minimal time on my end to set up the outreach and see results.

Saving this valuable time allows me to spend more time in areas that will have a more significant ROI. Not only that, but bringing minds together creates a more creative environment, and quite often leads to a better end product.

'Anything that you don't enjoy or feels like a waste of your time, you shouldn't be doing'

Kristina Libby is the founder of SoCu, a company that creates movements by bringing together art, politics, and business.

So often we fail to hire people when we need them, and as a result the business fails. If you're a solopreneur, you need to hire the resources that allow you to scale - a great lawyer, a good accountant, and a strong business coach. If you run a team, that means hiring the people who offset your skills and enable you to implement your visions. Then, you'll be freed up to do the work that helps you to best scale and succeed.

Anything that's hard for you, you don't enjoy, or that feels like a waste of your time, you shouldn't be doing. Focus on the work you're great at and lean fully into that.

'Delegate to people who can do the task at least 70% to your satisfaction'

Rhea Wong is the founder of Rhea Wong Consulting, a company that helps nonprofit leaders learn how to fundraise.

People don't often delegate because they think it takes more time to explain a task then to do it themselves, or that the people they delegate to won't do the task as well.

My advice is to provide adequate and thorough structure for the skill level and confidence of the person being delegated to. It's best to delegate to people who can do the task at least 70% to your satisfaction. They can grow and learn to the other 30%.

Always operate in your zone of genius - where your passion and proficiency meet - and delegate, automate, or eliminate the rest. By designing and planning around your own gifts and superpowers, you set yourself up for growth and sustainability.

'Delegate the things that would make a massive difference if they weren't on your plate'

Carolyn Bothwell is the founder of Freelance Founders, a private community and resource hub for independent creatives.

People often outsource and delegate simple, administrative tasks, yet there are plenty of ways to automate those things. Instead, considering delegating tasks that you genuinely need help with - the big things - the things that would make a massive difference if they weren't on your plate.

I'm a highly creative person, so branding and marketing is my thing. Numbers, however - not so much. The first thing I did when I started my new business was hire a fraction CFO. This has helped me feel empowered and make strategic decisions every step of the way.

All individuals featured in this article are members of Dreamers & Doers, a private collective that amplifies the entrepreneurial pursuits of extraordinary women through thought leadership opportunities, authentic connection, and access. Learn more about Dreamers & Doers and subscribe to their monthly The Digest for top entrepreneurial and career resources.