More and more Philippine-based entrepreneurs are taking on the mantle of digital nomads, fully embracing the potential of the country’s ongoing digital transformation. Today, traveling entrepreneurs can be fully confident that areas like private communication and business banking services from top providers like Maya Business can be done online in complete safety, even as they explore far-flung communities in the Philippines and overseas.
While this lifestyle seems like a dream for many, the practical demands of running a business with the unpredictability of being on the road will eventually present entrepreneurs with challenges. To start, being on the road necessarily limits access to some resources and may create communication bottlenecks that slow down operations. Work and personal life can also start to blur when you’re constantly on the move, sometimes leading to serious burnout. These challenges can multiply when you leave the relative familiarity of your home country and travel through international destinations.
Overcoming these hurdles is often a matter of effective delegation. Knowing what to entrust to others and what to handle personally will make it simpler to maintain business continuity without being bogged down by the minutiae of daily decision-making. You’ll also avoid the pitfalls of micromanagement while still maintaining control over the big-picture aspects of business.
Whether you’re currently planning a business trip or are considering becoming a digital nomad, take note of which key tasks are best done personally and which ones are best left to trusted partners and employees:
Tasks to Delegate
1) Bookkeeping and Accounting
For most entrepreneurs, financial tracking, invoicing, and tax preparation are high-focus activities that don’t make sense to do on the road. Sure, it’s possible, but a professional accountant with ready access to documents and resources will probably manage these activities far more effectively.
When delegating these critical activities, make sure that your mobile business banking app is properly set up so that you can immediately approve payments flagged by your accountant.
2) Administrative Tasks
Routine activities such as scheduling meetings and handling documentation can easily be delegated to a virtual assistant or office manager. As important as these tasks are, you should probably put your focus on higher-value activities so that you can free up more time to do whatever you need to on the road.
3) Social Media Management
In most business operations, day-to-day content creation, scheduling, and monitoring can be effectively outsourced to a social media manager. The caveat is that you must train your social media manager exhaustively so that they fully understand your brand’s guidelines.
At first, you may also want to divide social media duties between yourself and the social media manager, with the end goal of being able to maintain an active online presence without needing to be constantly connected.
4) Customer Support
As with social media management, responding to customer inquiries and handling complaints can be time-consuming and often impractical when you’re on the road. These activities aren’t something you can easily put off, either, since they have a major influence on customer loyalty. Delegating your customer support responsibilities to a dedicated team ensures your customers receive timely, on-brand service, even when you’re not available.
5) Research and Data Collection
If you plan to be on the road often, things like market research and data gathering are generally best delegated to a qualified research assistant. These activities can involve several hours a day digging through information, which is probably not a good use of your time. Again, you should probably keep focused on top-level decision-making and leave the small details to researchers who know your brand.
Things You Must Do Yourself
1) Strategic Planning
As many entrepreneurs learned the hard way, a business’s mission, vision, and values are not things that you can delegate to anyone else. For big strategic initiatives that demand a change in your organization’s direction, there is no substitute for your direct input and oversight.
2) Client Relationships
Unless you happen to be running a major conglomerate, maintaining strong relationships with key clients is going to be one of your core responsibilities and probably one of the main reasons to travel in the first place. Being personally involved ensures that clients feel valued and keeps relationships running smoothly.
3) Branding Strategy
While you can delegate research and execution, your business’s overarching branding strategy should be managed by you. As a founder, you must craft an impactful approach to building your brand that aligns with your mission and vision.
4) Product Development
If your business involves product creation, staying involved in the development process is going to be crucial since your products are a direct reflection of your brand’s values. Even as your business grows and develops its own product innovation capabilities, the overall direction and final say should remain with you.
5) Crisis Management
Lastly, critical PR issues, financial challenges, and operational setbacks always demand your full attention. Managing these situations personally, even if it means returning home, ensures that your business responds consistently with your business’s long-term goals.
Delegating with Confidence, Leading with Purpose
Being a traveling entrepreneur means more than just living an Instagram-worthy lifestyle. It also means mastering the balance between delegation and personal management in a way that leads to a thriving business.
Whichever industry you’re situated in, strategically offloading routine tasks will let you focus on the bigger decisions that drive growth and earn you the freedom of an exciting life on the road. As with many more of life’s pursuits, the key to success lies in knowing how and when to trust others and when to take the reins yourself.
What say you?
Thoughts on how to manage as a Traveling Entrepreneur?
Let’s hear it!
