A firm owner messaged me last month.
She said: "I know I need to delegate. I've read everything. But when it actually comes down to it, I can't let go. It's faster if I do it myself. And I don't trust anyone to do it the way I would."
I didn't send her a framework.
I told her she was describing me, five years ago.
Chapter 9 is honest about this.
Building a team isn't just a business move — it's an identity thing.
Most of us started our firms because we were the best person for the job.
That same confidence is what got the practice off the ground, and it's also what keeps y'all up at night doing $30-an-hour work while billing yourself at $300.
What I had to learn the hard way: "no one can do it like I can" is sometimes true, and it usually doesn't matter.
Good enough, done by someone else, on time, beats perfect, done by you, at 11pm.
When I finally let go — really let go — my team didn't drop the ball. They grew into the work because I gave them room to.
Delegation isn't a compromise. It's how the 4-hour firm actually works.
This week's move
Pick one task you've been holding onto that someone else could own. Not someday — this week.
Write two paragraphs: what the task is, what done looks like, and when it's due.
Hand it off.
Let it be theirs.
And if you have a confession of your own — a pattern, a struggle, something you've been figuring out alone — hit reply.
I read every one.
Next month's issue might be yours.
— Jackie