⏱️Quick Win: The delegation decision-tree
Your framework for knowing when and what to delegate as a solo founder
Hey there,
As a solo founder, you’re wearing every hat in the business. Strategist. Marketer. Customer support. Designer. Product manager. Accountant.
And at some point, you hit a wall.
You’re drowning in tasks, but you can’t figure out what to hand off. You try delegating something, it comes back worse than if you’d done it yourself, so you take everything back and burn out doing it all again.
I’ve been there.
I spent months either doing too much myself or delegating the wrong things to the wrong people. Newsletter writing that didn’t capture my voice. Social media that felt off-brand. Time wasted teaching someone a task that would’ve been faster to just do myself.
What I needed wasn’t just help — I needed a system to decide what to delegate, when to delegate it, and who to delegate it to.
So I created a simple decision tree that’s freed up 5-10 hours per week and let me focus on the strategic work that actually moves Mane Hook-Up forward.
Here’s the exact framework I use.
The Problem Most Solo Founders Face
When you’re doing everything, it’s hard to see what should come off your plate. You think:
“This will be faster if I just do it myself”
“No one else can do this the way I do it”
“I can’t afford to hire someone”
“I don’t have time to train someone”
So you keep doing everything. And eventually, you’re spending all your time on tasks that don’t move the needle while the high-impact work sits untouched.
Before I created this framework, I wasn’t delegating enough — and when I did, I was often delegating the wrong things or to the wrong people. I’d spend weeks finding someone, only to realize the quality dropped drastically or that teaching them took longer than doing it myself.
I needed a better filter.
The Delegation Decision Tree
Here’s the simple decision tree I use to determine if something should be delegated, and if so, how:
Question 1: How long is this going to take?
If it’s under 15 minutes, just do it yourself.
The overhead of delegating isn’t worth it.
If it’s 1+ hours and recurring (weekly, monthly), it’s a delegation candidate.
Move to Question 2.
Question 2: Does this require my strategic input or relationships?
YES → Keep it. Anything strategic or relationship-dependent stays with you.
Examples of what I keep:
Investor conversations
Partnership negotiations
High-level strategy decisions
Key client/community relationships
Content topics and messaging direction
NO → It’s potentially delegatable.
Move to Question 3.
Question 3: What’s the business impact and risk?
High impact + High risk → You oversee it, but someone else executes.
Example: Newsletter writing. I decide topics and review final drafts, but I don’t write every word anymore.
Low impact + Low risk → Fully delegate it.
Example: Social media. I created the high-level strategy, and I’m now handing over editing, scheduling, and cross-posting.
Medium impact + Medium risk → Test delegation with close oversight first.
Example: Podcast editing. I record, someone else edits and adds music. But given we’re talking about textured hair, I have to test this for a few episodes to see if they know enough to take it over.
Question 4: Can you afford it, and is the ROI worth it?
Calculate the true cost:
Your time cost: If this task takes 5 hours/month and your time is worth £50/hour, that’s £250/month in opportunity cost
Delegation cost: Intern (£0-£200/month) vs Contractor (£500-£2000/month) vs Team member (£2000+/month)
If the opportunity cost is higher than the delegation cost, delegate it. If not, consider an intern or keep it yourself for now.
Question 5: Is it more painful to teach than to do?
This is the ultimate filter. If teaching someone takes longer than just doing it yourself for the next 3-6 months, keep it.
Red flags that mean “do it yourself”:
Teaching them takes more time than doing it (and it’s not recurring)
The quality decreases drastically even with training
You’re fighting the process more than flowing with it
It requires too much back-and-forth to get right
If teaching them once saves you 10+ hours over the next few months, delegate it.
What I’ve Actually Delegated (And How)
Here are three real examples from Mane Hook-Up:
Social Media
What I kept: High-level strategy and content direction
What I delegated: Editing, scheduling, cross-posting across platforms
Who: Intern from my network
Result: Saved 3-4 hours per week, maintained brand consistency
Newsletter Creation
What I kept: Topic selection, final review
What I delegated: Writing the full newsletter
Challenge: The person took a very long time to grab hold of my tone of voice
What I learned: This is harder to delegate than it seems. Eventually had to take it back and try with someone else
Current state: Still testing to find the right fit
Podcast Editing
What I kept: Recording and final guest selection
What I delegated: All editing and music
Who: Intern initially and then a contractor.
Result: Saved 2-3 hours per episode. Easier to hand over than expected when someone is more gifted than I was.
My Handoff Process
When I decide to delegate something, here’s my simple handoff:
Find the person: Search my network first (LinkedIn, Instagram), then post publicly if needed. Interns for recurring low-cost tasks, contractors for specialized skills.
Have a call: 30-minute conversation to explain the task, why it matters, and what good looks like.
Create documentation: Build a simple Notion page with:
The task overview
Step-by-step process
Examples of good work
How to reach me with questions
Test run: Have them do it once with heavy oversight, then gradually reduce involvement.
Let go: Once they’ve got it, trust them to run with it.
When I Take Tasks Back
Not everything I delegate works out. Here’s when I pull tasks back:
Newsletter writing: Quality wasn’t there, and the person couldn’t capture my voice even after multiple rounds of feedback.
The lesson: Some tasks are too tied to your personal voice or style to delegate early on. Wait until you have clearer processes or the right person.
Your Quick Start
This week:
List every recurring task you do (weekly, monthly)
Run each task through the decision tree above
Identify 1-2 tasks that are clear delegation candidates
Your timeline:
Week 1: Pick ONE task to delegate (start small)
Week 2: Find the person and create your handoff documentation
Week 3: Do the handoff call and first test run
Week 4: Review the results and adjust
Pro tip: Start with tasks that are more painful to keep doing yourself than to teach someone else. Podcast editing, social media scheduling, and expense tracking are usually good first delegations.
The Real ROI
Delegation isn’t just about freeing up hours — it’s about freeing up the RIGHT hours.
Those 5-10 hours I’ve reclaimed aren’t spent on more admin work. They’re spent on strategic projects: building partnerships, refining our product, planning our next fundraise, creating content that actually moves the business forward.
That’s the real win.
Try the decision tree this week and let me know what you decide to delegate first!
Ciao for now,
— Jade