Is trusting your "expert" costing you more than you think?
You hired someone, you handed things off, you took a breath and told yourself "this is handled."
and then suddenly your business is a stranger…
The tool they set up? You've never opened it.
The process they built? It involves a ton of manual input on your side, but their side is covered.
The system that was supposed to make your life easier? Three people on your team hate using it and no one told you.
This is one of the most frustrating things I see when I go into a business to help uncomplicate and streamline things. The problem isn’t that business owners get help, that’s smart… and encouraged. The problem is that they got help, didn’t ask questions and just let them do their thing.
😳😳😳😳😳😳
Getting help should actually look like this:
Step 1: Admit you need help
Step 2: Look for help
Step 3: Make sure that help is actually working for you... in a way that makes your life EASIER.
What "I just trusted them, they're the expert" actually costs you
In the last month alone, I’ve seen this play out with a number of clients.
A client brought in a new expert to help re-build a platform. Since it was a rebuild, there were existing trust issues so the biggest requests were
Clear communication throughout the process
Documentation so any team member could easily get up to speed.
The new expert agreed, the work began annnnnd when no updates were provided, when my client asked for one she was told that it was too hard to keep a list updated because the project was moving too quickly 😳😳. Request #1 failed.
After the project wrapped up, she had to follow up on the documentation (multiple times) and when she finally got it, it wasn’t what she asked for… she got what he thought was appropriate.
I watched another client go from "I'm loyal, he's been with me for years, I trust him" to "he’s making my life hell" over the course of a few weeks... NOT exaggerating!
She had an “expert” on her team that had been there for YEARS. He had been managing a good portion of the backend with almost full autonomy but decided he wanted to step into a new role. She had felt like things had gotten a little bit more complicated, but she trusted him, so she hadn’t looked into it.
As she looked to replace him, the curtain got pulled back and she started to realize how much her business had been redesigned based on what someone else wanted/needed.
Things were technically getting done, but only the things he wanted to do. The things he deemed as not important got pushed back to my client to do herself and even other members of the team.
Another client told me that they only used certain tools because someone they worked with had insisted on it, but they hated it and never used it… they just got to pay for it…
And recently I sat down with a potential new client looking for someone to take over a service he already has someone for… but he’s just not getting what he needs for his business. He pays for something to happen but has zero insight into what’s happening or if it’s working.
These are just the most recent examples I could think of… but it’s a VERY common problem.
I’ve even dealt with it in my own business! I’ve spent the time to make sure I have processes and systems in place, but I’ve had people support me that just did what they felt like, skipped steps because they didn’t know why it mattered and just did what worked best for them - no. That’s not how this is supposed to work. I’m just lucky that I review my business and processes regularly.
There's a difference between trusting someone's expertise and outsourcing your awareness entirely.
So what do you actually do about it?
Whether you're hiring someone new or auditing what you already have, here's where to start:
Before you hire
Ask what tools and systems they use and why - do they use their own tools? Or will they work with what you have/works best for you?
Ask how they communicate progress - how often, in what way? - Does this work for you?
Ask what happens to your systems and data if the relationship ends - who owns it? You should own everything. Always.
If you already have help
Can you log in to everything yourself? If not, fix that today
Do you get regular updates on what's being done, what's working, and what isn't?
Do you use all the tools you have? Do you know what they’re all for?
When's the last time you did an audit of your business? Client status, internal projects etc
If they left tomorrow, could someone else step in without you being completely lost?
The gut check questions to ask yourself honestly
Do I actually understand how my business is running right now?
Am I getting information, or am I just trusting that everything's fine?
Is the help I have making my life easier... quieter or harder?
Quieter means the noise went away, so you don’t actually know what’s going on
Easier means you actually have more capacity, more visibility, and more control
Harder means, well… harder lol
Trust and involvement aren’t mutually exclusive
You're allowed to trust the people you work with, you absolutely should trust them - it’s essential.
BUUUUTTTTT, having trust doesn't mean you stop paying attention. You should still have full insight into how things work, the ability to ask questions and have things adjusted and the SUPPORT you needed from the expert in the first place.
Stay curious.
Ask questions.
Ask for what you need.
Ask for what you want.
And always remember, it’s YOUR business, not theirs.
Getting help is one of the best things you can do for your business, just make sure what you're getting is actually helping.
