How to Manage Multiple Roles as a Small Business Owner

As a small business owner, you’re probably familiar with the phrase “wearing many hats,” which highlights the fact that this role often involves juggling several responsibilities. It can often feel like a balancing act trying to manage everything, especially without a strategy in place.

How you manage your workload and time will be unique to you and your business, but we’ve put together some tips to help lessen the load.

Let artificial intelligence (AI) complete certain tasks

We are living in the age of AI. With new tools and software features releasing on what can feel like a daily basis, leaning in and implementing some of these time-saving features can be a great way for small business owners to handle some of their to-do items required in each role or potentially eliminate a role altogether.

For example, if you find yourself taking on the time-consuming responsibilities of accounting, which can include manually balancing numbers, tracking invoices, managing financial statements, bookkeeping, handling payroll, preparing for taxes, and more, there are several AI-powered accounting software solutions available that can help handle all of this and more. Programs such as QuickBooks’ AI-powered financial assistant, Intuit Assist, ClickUp Accounting,  and Zeni, for instance, can help keep key financial tasks all in one place.

AI can also be useful for tasks like sprucing up marketing copy, managing customer support, and automating repetitive tasks that eat up your day. Explore more AI-powered tools you can use in your small business to help complete tasks more efficiently.  

Set goals for each role and monitor performance

When juggling multiple responsibilities, it can be easy for your roles to start blending together. As a result, staying on top of priorities and setting clear goals for each aspect of your small business can feel challenging.

To help manage multiple roles more effectively, begin by outlining the key responsibilities associated with each one. For example, if you handle all the social media for your business, one of your tasks might be creating video content. From there, establish specific and achievable goals for each responsibility. Identifying the reason behind each task (aka your “why”) can be a great place to start; why are you creating video content? What is the main message you are trying to convey? What are you aiming to accomplish? By setting a concrete goal with a timeline, you can better track your progress and understand the purpose behind each role you manage.

After defining your roles, responsibilities, and goals, you can monitor how you’re doing. Schedule some time on an ongoing basis to review what’s working well and what you can improve on to more effectively reach your objectives. Doing so can add more purpose to each role you take on, making them feel more defined and driven.

A digital project management tool, for example, can help you keep track of ongoing tasks and assess your progress toward achieving your business goals. For instance, Monday.com is a customizable process tracker that can help you manage tasks, goals, and performance at once.

Split tasks up and delegate internally and externally

Managing all tasks related to your business by yourself is often unrealistic and unsustainable in the long run. After a while, this can lead to unwanted feelings of burnout. To help combat this, effectively delegating tasks to team members or outsourcing to professionals can help free up time for other important business-related tasks.

First, identify the tasks you are willing to delegate that do not require your direct involvement. If you’re considering outsourcing, establish a budget that you can allocate for hiring contractors. Outsourcing can be especially of interest if there are areas of your business outside your expertise, allowing you to focus on your specialties. If you choose to delegate internally, be sure to factor in the time for possible training and support that may be required to get your employee(s) up to speed.

Stay on top of the latest best practices

Your focus can be on several different areas of your business at once—from marketing to finance to inventory and more. However, to manage multiple roles more effectively, staying updated on the latest trends, solutions, tools, and best practices in each field is important. Doing so can help you implement new tools to help your operations run more efficiently.

When looking for ways to improve your practices, it’s important to stay adaptable and adjust your strategies, as this can help you find more efficient practices. Whether networking with small businesses in your community to learn about the tools they use, regularly searching online for updated tech solutions, or attending workshops in a particular area, remaining cognizant of the latest developments in your industry is key.

At The UPS Store, we offer various services, including printing, packing and shipping, and mailbox rentals, that can help your small business thrive. Learn more about our Small Business Solutions and visit a location near you to get started.