I’m going to get a little philosophical here, so just bear with me for a bit. I was thinking the other day about how busy we make ourselves. We have so much work to do (both at work and in or personal lives)—but our plates are only so big. Life is a little bit like a buffet in that way. If you go into it with eyes bigger than your stomach, you’re not going to enjoy yourself.

You can try to stack roast beef on top of that delicious-looking ziti and cram it all together next to a piece of fried chicken and a pile of macaroni and cheese… and then go back up for soft serve ice cream, a brownie, and a piece of apple pie. But really, you can only eat so much; so you have to choose what you want wisely. Because, like I said, the plate is only so big.

The world is full of opportunities to over-indulge, over-stuff, and try to take on more than you can possibly handle. We see it all the time in our lives: the co-worker that takes on too many tasks and can’t meet a deadline on a single one; the student that tries to pack too many difficult courses into a single semester; and the small business owner that tries to handle everything on their own.

And that’s precisely where I’m going with this. I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “Jack of all trades; master of none.” That especially rings true in the world of small business. If you run your own business, you often try to wear many different hats. One minute you’re an accountant, the next you’re a copywriter, then you’re a designer, and you’re trying to keep everything running. But there always comes a point when you just can’t successfully maintain all of those different areas by yourself.

But that’s a good thing! The bigger something gets, the harder it is to run. So if you find that you need some help maintaining all of the different areas of your business, it probably means that your business is growing. Your business is like your baby—you built it from the ground up. That personal attachment might make it difficult to hand over some of the reins. But (to use another cliché and paraphrase Sting) “if you love something, you have to set it free.”

Nobody here claims to be a Jack of all Trades. We’re all experts in our specific areas in the eCommerce world. Our Search Engine Optimization team knows how to navigate organic search; our Pay Per Click team can create the best ad campaigns for your business; and we have teams that can help customers find your products in the shopping engines. It can be hard to let go sometimes; but there are a few things you can do to make sure that everything runs smoothly.

Ask for Help, Grow your Business, Take a Breather

• You should first make sure that you have a clear plan for the areas that you want to outsource. My suggestion is to take the things that you don’t like doing so much and find someone that can do them for you. Let’s face it… if you don’t like doing a particular task, you probably aren’t doing it as well as you should. (I’m looking at you, calculus homework.)

• Once you find an expert that you can trust, it’s a good idea to create a clear plan or brief for the project. This way, everyone is on the same page. An organized plan helps to yield the best results. To sum it up: The more you share with the expert, the better the expert is able to help. So if they send you a questionnaire at the beginning of the project, take the time to fill it out fully.

• Finally, let go. Leave this particular task in the hands of the expert. You’re still the boss. You still own the business. But you need to give the expert the time and space to thrive. (Trust me, it’s worth it.)

The next time you find yourself struggling with too many tasks to handle on your own, don’t panic! Having a team of experts working to enhance and improve your business will give you the time to concentrate on bigger and more exciting things.