Liz Illg is the founder of Liz Illg Consulting. She has started several businesses in multiple industries, which include many brick-and-mortar stores.
Likewise, Liz Illg founded “her own consulting business and boutique marketing agency.” She decided to start consulting because her clients kept asking her “how she grew her storefront to multiple locations in a short amount of time.”
With her success, Liz Illg credits her business growth “to systems, effective delegation, and strategic launch planning.”
Liz Illg has a background in “business starting, flipping, and expanding,” which helped her master the “method of scaling brands with launches that are unique and impactful.”
According to Liz Illg, she became a business consultant because “I was a business owner first.”
Liz Illg has started businesses, and she has scaled them “with strategy and my unique way of organizing and systematizing operations.”
Also, Liz Illg believes that it is “important to align yourself with people who’ve achieved the things you aim to achieve.”
Because she has gone through similar things, Liz Illg says that she is able to help clients get “through their unique situations and business phases.”
However, Liz Illg also believes that business owners must “plan for rest and recovery time in their daily lives.” With enough rest, “you’ll be able to serve your people.”
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I’m a business consultant because I was a business owner first. Liz Illg
Jerome Knyszewski: What do you think makes your company stand out? Can you share a story?
Liz Illg: I’m a business consultant because I was a business owner first.
Not only have I started businesses but I’ve scaled them with strategy and my unique way of organizing and systematizing operations.
In the world of business coaching and consulting, it’s so important to align yourself with people who’ve achieved the things you aim to achieve.
For my clients, I’m able to help them through their unique situations and business phases because I’ve gone through the same situations in my own companies.
Jerome Knyszewski: Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
Liz Illg: Prioritize rest. I really encourage business owners to plan for rest and recovery time in their daily lives.
So often, I hear entrepreneurs leave rest to the bottom of their to-do list and if you’re always busy, chances are, it’s going to be saved for tomorrow.
If you actually schedule time in your routine to rest and recharge your mind, the better you’ll be able to serve your people.
Jerome Knyszewski: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
Liz Illg: I completely agree. We all need help to get to where we want to be personally and professionally. For me, it’s my team.
Since I have multiple businesses, I rely on my team members to make sure the operation runs smoothly and that my clients are taken care of.
In my companies, I’ve created special roles for my right-hand people.
They’re the people that I can trust to run my business the way I dreamt, the people that are going to lead with the same values that I’ve promoted within the companies, like integrity and initiative.
There will come a day in your business where you can’t be the only one steering the ship. It really takes a village and I’m grateful for my village.
Jerome Knyszewski: Ok thank you for all that. Now let’s shift to the main focus of this interview. Delegating effectively is a challenge for many leaders. Let’s put first things first. Can you help articulate to our readers a few reasons why delegating is such an important skill for a leader or a business owner to develop?
Liz Illg: When you delegate in your business, you’re protecting your role.
Maybe when you first started your business, you had to be everything; your bookkeeper, CEO, marketing person, assistant, all of the things.
As your business grows, bringing on people to your team to cover specialized areas will allow you to step into your dream role.
For me, this looks like consulting business owners and providing scaling strategy to small businesses.
If I had to do all of the other things in my business like managing accounts, creating marketing materials, managing my team, and all of the other things, it’d leave me with no time in my schedule to spend the time doing the work that fulfills me.
The more you can delegate, the more you can serve your people with your zone of genius.
When you delegate in your business, you’re protecting your role.
Jerome Knyszewski: Can you help articulate a few of the reasons why delegating is such a challenge for so many people?
Liz Illg:
- As many business owners will know, sometimes it’s easier to do it all in your business because you know it all.
You know how your business should run, you know all the answers to questions, you know how your customers should be treated, so naturally you’ll want to do it all yourself. - But the ease of doing it all isn’t a long-term thing.
You can only do it all for so long until it starts to wear you out and you start to limit your business’ growth potential. - If you can grow your team to support you in the different areas you need help with, you’ll be able to lead your business efficiently and impactfully and serve more customers.
- If trust is an issue for business owners, that can keep them from delegating too. Not trusting the people around them to do the right thing in their business.
I would say most times, that issue stems from not having the right systems and training to equip your team with the right knowledge.
Having a solid team takes time, work, and it’s a financial investment but it’s certainly a business accelerator.
Jerome Knyszewski: In your opinion, what pivots need to be made, either in perspective or in work habits, to help alleviate some of the challenges you mentioned?
Liz Illg: If business owners are stuck in a zone of doing it all and not feeling ready to delegate work out, it’s probably because they don’t have their business organized in a way that makes handing off tasks, seamless.
I recommend taking time to write out your full standard operating procedures (no matter how big or small your operation is) and coming up with what your ideal role looks like.
From there, create a list of things that you can assign out that either you don’t like to do or that you can have an expert take on.
If this whole process seems overwhelming, this is where hiring a business consultant would come into play.
Having someone work with you to streamline your business and prepare for growth is super valuable.
The more you can delegate, the more you can serve your people with your zone of genius. Liz Illg
Jerome Knyszewski: Thank you for all of that. We are nearly done. You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Liz Illg: It would be remarkable if entrepreneurs normalized acknowledging their teams.
So many times, we see business owners stand in the spotlight and the people that help them move needles in their business are left in the shadows.
Let’s normalize having a dream team and not having to carry the weight of the business world on your shoulders.
Jerome Knyszewski: How can our readers further follow you online?
Liz Illg: You can connect with me on my website and on Instagram, @liz.illg!
Jerome Knyszewski: This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for the time you spent with this!
