For small business owners, your most valuable asset isn’t money it’s time. And yet, many entrepreneurs find themselves stuck in the weeds, spending hours on tasks that don’t move the business forward.
If you’re serious about scaling, here are five tasks you should stop doing immediately and what to do instead.
1. Calendar Management & Scheduling
Endless back-and-forths trying to find a meeting time? It’s a massive waste of time in most instances.
As the leader, your time should be spent in high-leverage conversations not juggling appointments. A virtual assistant (VA) can manage your calendar, handle reschedules, and set up reminders. Pair them with a scheduling tool like Calendly or Motion, and you’ll never get stuck in calendar chaos again.
2. Inbox Management & Routine Emails
Your inbox shouldn’t dictate your day.
The average small business owner spends 1–3 hours a day inside their inbox, often reacting instead of leading. Assistants can help triage emails, label by priority, handle repetitive replies, and surface only the messages that actually require your attention. That frees up mental space for strategy, not spam.
3. Social Media Posting & Basic Content Scheduling
Yes, content is king but your job isn’t to wear the crown and schedule its Instagram posts.
Entrepreneurs should focus on thought leadership, not uploading Reels or queuing Tweets. A social media assistant can handle scheduling, repurposing, and reporting ensuring your brand stays visible without draining your creative energy.
4. Data Entry & CRM Updates
Manual data entry is the death of momentum.
Whether it’s updating spreadsheets, logging sales calls, or keeping your CRM clean, these are important but they aren’t founder-level tasks. By delegating you can effectively manage data hygiene, create reports, and ensure you always have the info you need at your fingertips.
5. Customer Support & First-Line Responses
You can care deeply about your customers without answering every email yourself. Founders often feel like no one else can speak in the brand’s voice, but that’s not true. With proper onboarding, a VA can handle common customer questions, route issues to the right team, and uphold your support standards all while you focus on the bigger picture.
Final Thoughts: Your Time Is Your Leverage
If you’re doing all five of these tasks, you’re not running a business you’re running yourself into burnout.
Start small. Delegate just one of these this week. Track how much time (and mental energy) it frees up. Then reinvest that time in vision, strategy, or rest because the best founders don’t do it all, they delegate what doesn’t matter most.
