Business owners often struggle on delegating tasks because they feel like they have to do everything themselves. Michelle Penczak has a message for you: you don’t! Michelle is the co-founder and CEO of Squared Away, a virtual assistance provider that solely employs military spouses. In this week’s episode of Beyond 8 Figures, she shares what her inspirational journey of building and sustaining a business (alongside long stints of solo parenting while her husband is away on deployment) has looked like!
Michelle’s successful career as a virtual assistant, combined with her personal struggles of finding a job because of the frequent relocation that is required of military spouses, inspired her to start her own business. Today, Squared Away employs over 200 military spouses, and Michelle is doing an incredible job of balancing solo parenting (while her husband is away on deployment) and running her ever-growing company!
Delegating tasks to be an empowered business owner
Delegating your work not only lessens your workload but also empowers you as a business owner. Delegation allows you to focus on strategic decision-making, business growth, and creating relationships with clients and stakeholders. It frees up your time and mental resources to focus on higher-level responsibilities that demand your particular abilities and knowledge. Delegating responsibilities also develops a culture of trust and collaboration within your business.
Episode highlights:
- Michelle’s approach to leadership is one that embraces and encourages curiosity and involves her being open about the things that she doesn’t know. (04:19)
- By making sure that her team members are working in roles that they love, Michelle has built a sustainable organization. (05:32)
- It is so important to pause on your entrepreneurial journey; there is always work to be done, but taking time off and learning to delegate work to other members of your team is essential. (08:43)
- The military spouses who make up the staff complement at Squared Away may not have cookie-cutter resumes, but sometimes the ‘perfect fit’ is not who you would expect. (19:35)
- Success for Michelle is her ability to balance solo parenting (while her husband is away on deployment) and running a successful business. (21:46)
Michelle’s best advice for entrepreneurs:
“Be curious, always.” (04:33)
“Don’t do everything yourself.” (13:02)
