Delegating is hard, but I couldn't have grown my marketing company without it.

When I first started the company, I wanted everything to be perfect, so I was taking envelopes home on the weekend to stuff and lick. That's $6-an-hour labor, and I was doing it! But before I could hire anyone, I had to be sure our accounts were stable — and growing. I wasn't comfortable until we were able to forecast at least six months in advance. That was really the first step to delegating for me.

It's easier to hand over stuffing envelopes, but when I hired our first media buyer, that was different. I needed to prepare myself. It's disconcerting because at first, it can take someone three times as long to complete a task I could have done myself. You have to be sure to hire the best person who can complete the tasks with the speed and accuracy you have. Just have a little patience for the learning curve.

Delegating has allowed me to duplicate myself so Maverick can handle bigger and more lucrative accounts. So now we're ditching a lot of smaller clients, politely. We do all the marketing — from developing the concept to securing ad space — for special sales events for 500 Sam's Clubs. That's bringing in $65,000 a week; I don't have time for a $300 job — and my six employees don't either.

Delegating has also given me the strength of mind to fire Maverick's first employee, who was hired in 1998. Delegating has become the impetus behind building systems, and someone working against the grain makes those processes sluggish. Now I don't let people hang on if they aren't a good fit.

Your Peer Connection: Danielle Hovenier, president and CEO, The Maverick Group, Nashville, Tenn. davielle@themaverickgroup.net