As an Amazon seller, you're constantly looking for ways to grow your business. You've hit impressive 6- or even 7-figure milestones, but lately, something feels off. You’re working harder than ever, constantly putting out fires, and your time seems to shrink instead of expand. You know you need to delegate, but every attempt seems to backfire.
Does this sound familiar? You hand off a task, hoping for relief, only to find yourself fixing mistakes, retraining, or even redoing the work yourself. It feels like delegating creates more work, doesn't it? You’re left thinking, "Is it just faster to do it myself?" If you feel like the only person who can truly do things right in your business, this article is for you.
Because here's the truth: the problem isn't delegation itself. It's how you're doing it.
I'm Michael, and I scaled and successfully sold an 8-figure Amazon brand. Over the years, I've learned a thing or two about building efficient systems and teams that allow a business owner to step out of the daily grind and back into the CEO role. I've seen firsthand how crucial effective delegation is to sustainable growth, and I’ve helped countless sellers like you reclaim their time and passion.
In this guide, I'll show you how to delegate without losing control, so you can finally free up your time, boost your business growth, and rediscover the joy of entrepreneurship—all without sacrificing quality or spending months on training.
Let's dive in.
You delegate because you want to save time. It makes perfect sense. You're overwhelmed, stressed, and your business growth has stalled because you lack the capacity to focus on strategic activities. So, you decide to hand something off.
But here’s the trap: if you actually want someone to do it right, you have to show them what to do, explain how to do it, review their work, and fix their mistakes. By the time you've done all that, you often think, "I could have just done it myself."
So, what's the natural next step? Next time, you might skip the detailed training and just hand off the task, hoping they'll figure it out. But what happens? They mess it up. And who ends up fixing it? You.
Either way, it takes longer than if you just kept doing it yourself. So, what's the point? Why does delegation always seem to backfire, leaving you feeling more stressed and less in control?
The way most Amazon sellers delegate is broken. It's why you feel like no one can do it as well as you, and it’s why you can’t fully step into the visionary, high-level role you should be in. This constant cycle leaves you feeling like an employee in your own business, sacrificing your freedom just to keep the lights on.
It might feel faster to do it yourself the first time. But what about the second time? The third time? And the hundredth time? You're still stuck doing the same low-value work over and over again, month after month, year after year. This is why your business feels stuck and why you see competitors passing you by. You’re too busy doing tasks to launch new products or explore new strategies.
Think about it: if you delegate a task properly just once, you never have to do it again. The time you invest in training now pays off every single time that task gets done without you. That’s hundreds, even thousands, of hours reclaimed in the long run.
I hear these all the time from 6- and 7-figure sellers:
This is the ultimate catch-22. You say you don't have time because you're buried in work, constantly putting out fires, and stretched so thin that you can't even stop to train someone who could take that load off your plate. This is the cycle that keeps entrepreneurs stuck in survival mode.
A few hours of training upfront buys you back dozens of hours every month. The longer you delay it, the longer you stay trapped doing things that shouldn't even be on your plate anymore. You’re missing deadlines, neglecting strategic planning, and your personal life is suffering. Isn't a few hours worth getting your life back?
Look, if you've been doing something for years, of course you're better at it. You’ve mastered it through countless hours of repetition and problem-solving. But that doesn't mean someone else can't learn. It doesn't mean they won't eventually surpass you.
Imagine hiring someone whose full-time job is mastering the exact task that only distracts you. They focus on it all day, every day. Over time, they will become highly proficient.
And even if they only do it 80% as well as you, well, guess what? That's 100% awesome! Why? Because now you are free to focus on the high-level work that actually grows your business. You can finally dedicate time to launching new products, expanding into new markets, or refining your overall business strategy.
Perfection isn't the goal here. Delegation isn't about getting things done exactly the way you would. It's about getting them done without you. That 80% frees you up to achieve 100% on the truly critical tasks that only you can do.
Pretty much every Amazon seller I know has had a negative experience with delegation. You hire someone, they mess things up, and suddenly you're right back where you started, doing it all yourself. It's easy to blame them. "They just weren't good enough," "They didn't care," "It's their fault, they suck."
But here's the tough truth: if delegation keeps failing, the problem isn't them. It's you.
I believe in extreme ownership. Either you didn't do a good job delegating—meaning you weren't clear, didn't provide the right structure, or didn't set them up for success—or they really did suck. But if that's the case, who hired them? Who kept them around? Well, that's on you too.
Many business owners try to hire "extra hands" without realizing they're still the only "brain" in their business. And that's the real issue. If every decision still flows through you, you're not actually delegating; you're just assigning tasks. You’ve turned yourself into the ultimate bottleneck.
This is why you're stressed and overwhelmed, making expensive mistakes because you're responsible for every big decision. This is why you feel anxious, can't disconnect from work, and are teetering on the brink of burnout. You’re stuck in survival mode, and it’s slowly eroding your passion for the business you once loved.
The real solution is learning how to delegate and train the right way—so you can finally move from being a doer to a manager, and then to a true leader.
If you want to delegate without losing control, you need to understand the Delegation Balance Spectrum.
On one end, you have Micromanagement. Here, you're still making all the decisions, checking every detail, and hovering over your team's shoulders. You're stuck in the weeds, constantly putting out fires, and your team never develops autonomy. This keeps you trapped and stressed.
On the other hand, you have Complete Abdication. This is where you hand off a task with zero guidance and just hope for the best. You're throwing spaghetti at the wall. This leads to sloppy results, expensive mistakes, and ultimately, you jumping back in to clean up the mess.
Neither of these approaches works. Micromanagement keeps you stuck in the weeds and drains your energy. Abdication leads to chaos and financial losses.
The solution is finding the Sweet Spot in the middle. This is where you provide enough guidance to ensure success, but enough freedom for your team to take ownership and solve problems independently.
So, how do you actually delegate the right way to hit this sweet spot?
True delegation isn’t just about offloading work. It’s about empowering your team to contribute meaningfully, freeing you to focus on strategic growth.
Most business owners think they're delegating, but they're actually still making all the decisions for their team. Your employees aren't thinking independently; they're just trying to guess what you want, constantly coming back to you for approval, clarification, and direction.
And that's because you trained them to operate that way. They try to do what they think you want, rather than doing what they think is right for the business's goals. If every decision still goes through you, you haven't actually delegated. You've just turned yourself into the ultimate bottleneck.
The goal isn't just to have more hands helping you execute tasks. It's to have more brains solving problems without you.
When you delegate properly, your team isn't asking, "What would my boss want?" They're asking, "What's the right move for the business to achieve X outcome?" It is actually easier to figure out the right move than to read your mind.
Most people just tell their team exactly what to do and how to do it, instead of telling them what needs to happen and letting them figure out the best way to get there.
Here’s the difference:
Task-based delegation looks something like this: "Use these five images, these two colors, and this font to create A+ content that includes these exact phrases." (You’re giving instructions, not a mission.)
Outcome-based delegation looks something like this: "Make sure our product listings have the best possible content to maximize conversions and match the brand's messaging." (You’re giving them a goal, and trusting their expertise to achieve it.)
See the difference? Instead of just checking a box, they are taking ownership of the result. When you delegate outcomes instead of tasks, your team stops relying on you, and they start thinking for themselves. This builds a proactive team that’s invested in your business’s success, freeing you from the constant grind of micro-management.
This is one of the most powerful frameworks for delegation, and it's the key to maintaining control without micromanaging. It lets you stay involved in the crucial stages while empowering your team for independent execution.
Here's how it works:
The First 10% (Your Involvement): You set the vision, define the desired outcome, and provide clear expectations. This involves explaining why the task is important, what the end goal is, and any critical constraints or resources. This is where you lay the strategic groundwork.
The Middle 80% (Team's Ownership): You step back. Your team takes over. They are responsible for executing the task, problem-solving, and making progress independently. They use their skills and creativity to navigate challenges and drive towards the defined outcome. Your role here is to be available for support, not constant oversight.
The Last 10% (Your Final Review): Finally, you step back in for the last 10% to review the completed work and make any final adjustments. This isn't about nitpicking; it's about ensuring the outcome aligns with the initial vision and meets your standards for quality. It’s your quality control check before finalization.
This way, you are involved in the parts that matter most (setting direction and final approval) without wasting time on things that don't (the day-to-day execution). This is how you build a team that actually operates without you – not just extra hands completing tasks, but extra brains taking ownership, solving problems, and driving the business forward. This is how you regain precious time to work on your business instead of endlessly in it.
Training is where many sellers get stuck, wasting months trying to get someone up to speed only to feel frustrated. Here's the number one mistake: thinking you need to train someone on every single step before they can take over.
But that's not how real learning works. Just think about it: when you need to figure something out, do you need someone to hold your hand and walk you through every detail? Probably not. You search, you test, and you troubleshoot. And that's what a great hire does too.
Instead of spending weeks building endless SOPs that barely get used, focus on hiring resourceful people. People who don't just follow instructions, but know how to find answers and solve problems. Choosing the right candidate actually makes training easy. Training shouldn't be about teaching every step; it should be about filling in the gaps after they've already figured out most of it on their own.
Because if you have the right person, the steps are easy to figure out. What they need from you isn't instructions. It's absolute clarity on the outcome.
This is exactly why hiring cheap is expensive. If you go for the cheapest, least experienced option, you are not saving money. You're buying yourself another full-time job as their trainer, manager, and safety net. You have to account for the time you'll spend teaching, managing, and fixing their mistakes. When you add that up, you realize that hiring talent from the start is actually cheaper than hiring cheap. An investment in a quality team member is an investment in your own freedom and the speed of your business growth.
So, what's the best way to train someone without wasting months on it? It's called the Shadow Method, and it completely changed the way I train people.
Step 1: Shadowing (You perform, they observe).
You perform the task as you normally would, and your new team member simply watches.
This isn't just about them learning. It's also a powerful opportunity for you to refine your own process. It actually forces you to think about how you do it instead of just mindlessly doing it.
Because when you explain what you do, you start seeing bottlenecks. You realize what could be streamlined, automated, or even eliminated altogether. So, handing off a process isn't just about training; it's also a chance to make it better and more efficient for the long term.
Step 2: Reverse Shadowing (They perform, you observe and feedback).
Now, your team member does the task, and you observe. You provide immediate, specific feedback as they go.
This ensures they understand not just the steps, but the actual reasoning behind what they're doing. If they make mistakes, they're caught the right way—not after a major error has occurred and affected your business.
This phase builds confidence and competence in real-time.
SOPs (Only after initial understanding).
Only after this two-step process, once I've seen how they approach the task and understood where their natural gaps are, do I consider creating detailed SOPs.
That's the key difference. Instead of overloading them with massive SOPs upfront, I let them take the first pass. The SOPs then become targeted tools to fill in specific gaps in their workflow, rather than overwhelming instruction manuals.
This approach ensures that your team member gets hands-on experience quickly, and you only invest time in documenting the truly necessary steps, not every single micro-action.
The journey from being the bottleneck to becoming a true leader in your Amazon business isn't easy, but it's essential for sustainable growth and your own well-being. It requires a shift in mindset—from being a doer to a designer of your business.
By applying outcome-based delegation, leveraging the 10-80-10 rule, and training effectively with the Shadow Method, you can:
Free up your time: Move beyond putting out fires and working long hours on low-value tasks.
Accelerate business growth: Focus on strategic planning, launching new products, and expanding your market share.
Reduce stress and overwhelm: Distribute decision-making, alleviate anxiety, and prevent burnout.
Reignite your passion: Rediscover the joy of entrepreneurship, working on exciting, high-level challenges instead of feeling trapped.
You'll stop wondering if you accomplished anything meaningful each week. Instead, you'll be actively shaping the future of your brand, leading a capable team, and truly mastering the game of entrepreneurship.
Don't let inefficient delegation hold your Amazon business back any longer. It's time to work on your business, not just in it.
Ready to transform your Amazon business and step into the CEO role?
If you feel like you are the bottleneck in your business and you’re ready to implement proven systems and build an efficient team, I can help. You can apply to work with me one-on-one to create a tailored strategy and scale your business without sacrificing your time or peace of mind.
Click here to learn more and apply to work with me.
In our next video, we're talking about the One-Touch Rule. This simple process will help you eliminate time-wasting tasks and free up over 20 hours every week. If you ever feel like you're working all day but your business isn't actually moving forward, this is the video you need to watch. I'll walk you through a step-by-step decision tree that will show you exactly what to do with every task, so you never get stuck doing the same things over and over again.
Stay tuned, I'll see you next week!
As an Amazon seller, you're constantly looking for ways to grow your business. You've hit impressive 6- or even 7-figure milestones, but lately, something feels off. You’re working harder than ever, constantly putting out fires, and your time seems to shrink instead of expand. You know you need to delegate, but every attempt seems to backfire.
Does this sound familiar? You hand off a task, hoping for relief, only to find yourself fixing mistakes, retraining, or even redoing the work yourself. It feels like delegating creates more work, doesn't it? You’re left thinking, "Is it just faster to do it myself?" If you feel like the only person who can truly do things right in your business, this article is for you.
Because here's the truth: the problem isn't delegation itself. It's how you're doing it.
I'm Michael, and I scaled and successfully sold an 8-figure Amazon brand. Over the years, I've learned a thing or two about building efficient systems and teams that allow a business owner to step out of the daily grind and back into the CEO role. I've seen firsthand how crucial effective delegation is to sustainable growth, and I’ve helped countless sellers like you reclaim their time and passion.
In this guide, I'll show you how to delegate without losing control, so you can finally free up your time, boost your business growth, and rediscover the joy of entrepreneurship—all without sacrificing quality or spending months on training.
Let's dive in.
You delegate because you want to save time. It makes perfect sense. You're overwhelmed, stressed, and your business growth has stalled because you lack the capacity to focus on strategic activities. So, you decide to hand something off.
But here’s the trap: if you actually want someone to do it right, you have to show them what to do, explain how to do it, review their work, and fix their mistakes. By the time you've done all that, you often think, "I could have just done it myself."
So, what's the natural next step? Next time, you might skip the detailed training and just hand off the task, hoping they'll figure it out. But what happens? They mess it up. And who ends up fixing it? You.
Either way, it takes longer than if you just kept doing it yourself. So, what's the point? Why does delegation always seem to backfire, leaving you feeling more stressed and less in control?
The way most Amazon sellers delegate is broken. It's why you feel like no one can do it as well as you, and it’s why you can’t fully step into the visionary, high-level role you should be in. This constant cycle leaves you feeling like an employee in your own business, sacrificing your freedom just to keep the lights on.
It might feel faster to do it yourself the first time. But what about the second time? The third time? And the hundredth time? You're still stuck doing the same low-value work over and over again, month after month, year after year. This is why your business feels stuck and why you see competitors passing you by. You’re too busy doing tasks to launch new products or explore new strategies.
Think about it: if you delegate a task properly just once, you never have to do it again. The time you invest in training now pays off every single time that task gets done without you. That’s hundreds, even thousands, of hours reclaimed in the long run.
I hear these all the time from 6- and 7-figure sellers:
This is the ultimate catch-22. You say you don't have time because you're buried in work, constantly putting out fires, and stretched so thin that you can't even stop to train someone who could take that load off your plate. This is the cycle that keeps entrepreneurs stuck in survival mode.
A few hours of training upfront buys you back dozens of hours every month. The longer you delay it, the longer you stay trapped doing things that shouldn't even be on your plate anymore. You’re missing deadlines, neglecting strategic planning, and your personal life is suffering. Isn't a few hours worth getting your life back?
Look, if you've been doing something for years, of course you're better at it. You’ve mastered it through countless hours of repetition and problem-solving. But that doesn't mean someone else can't learn. It doesn't mean they won't eventually surpass you.
Imagine hiring someone whose full-time job is mastering the exact task that only distracts you. They focus on it all day, every day. Over time, they will become highly proficient.
And even if they only do it 80% as well as you, well, guess what? That's 100% awesome! Why? Because now you are free to focus on the high-level work that actually grows your business. You can finally dedicate time to launching new products, expanding into new markets, or refining your overall business strategy.
Perfection isn't the goal here. Delegation isn't about getting things done exactly the way you would. It's about getting them done without you. That 80% frees you up to achieve 100% on the truly critical tasks that only you can do.
Pretty much every Amazon seller I know has had a negative experience with delegation. You hire someone, they mess things up, and suddenly you're right back where you started, doing it all yourself. It's easy to blame them. "They just weren't good enough," "They didn't care," "It's their fault, they suck."
But here's the tough truth: if delegation keeps failing, the problem isn't them. It's you.
I believe in extreme ownership. Either you didn't do a good job delegating—meaning you weren't clear, didn't provide the right structure, or didn't set them up for success—or they really did suck. But if that's the case, who hired them? Who kept them around? Well, that's on you too.
Many business owners try to hire "extra hands" without realizing they're still the only "brain" in their business. And that's the real issue. If every decision still flows through you, you're not actually delegating; you're just assigning tasks. You’ve turned yourself into the ultimate bottleneck.
This is why you're stressed and overwhelmed, making expensive mistakes because you're responsible for every big decision. This is why you feel anxious, can't disconnect from work, and are teetering on the brink of burnout. You’re stuck in survival mode, and it’s slowly eroding your passion for the business you once loved.
The real solution is learning how to delegate and train the right way—so you can finally move from being a doer to a manager, and then to a true leader.
If you want to delegate without losing control, you need to understand the Delegation Balance Spectrum.
On one end, you have Micromanagement. Here, you're still making all the decisions, checking every detail, and hovering over your team's shoulders. You're stuck in the weeds, constantly putting out fires, and your team never develops autonomy. This keeps you trapped and stressed.
On the other hand, you have Complete Abdication. This is where you hand off a task with zero guidance and just hope for the best. You're throwing spaghetti at the wall. This leads to sloppy results, expensive mistakes, and ultimately, you jumping back in to clean up the mess.
Neither of these approaches works. Micromanagement keeps you stuck in the weeds and drains your energy. Abdication leads to chaos and financial losses.
The solution is finding the Sweet Spot in the middle. This is where you provide enough guidance to ensure success, but enough freedom for your team to take ownership and solve problems independently.
So, how do you actually delegate the right way to hit this sweet spot?
True delegation isn’t just about offloading work. It’s about empowering your team to contribute meaningfully, freeing you to focus on strategic growth.
Most business owners think they're delegating, but they're actually still making all the decisions for their team. Your employees aren't thinking independently; they're just trying to guess what you want, constantly coming back to you for approval, clarification, and direction.
And that's because you trained them to operate that way. They try to do what they think you want, rather than doing what they think is right for the business's goals. If every decision still goes through you, you haven't actually delegated. You've just turned yourself into the ultimate bottleneck.
The goal isn't just to have more hands helping you execute tasks. It's to have more brains solving problems without you.
When you delegate properly, your team isn't asking, "What would my boss want?" They're asking, "What's the right move for the business to achieve X outcome?" It is actually easier to figure out the right move than to read your mind.
Most people just tell their team exactly what to do and how to do it, instead of telling them what needs to happen and letting them figure out the best way to get there.
Here’s the difference:
Task-based delegation looks something like this: "Use these five images, these two colors, and this font to create A+ content that includes these exact phrases." (You’re giving instructions, not a mission.)
Outcome-based delegation looks something like this: "Make sure our product listings have the best possible content to maximize conversions and match the brand's messaging." (You’re giving them a goal, and trusting their expertise to achieve it.)
See the difference? Instead of just checking a box, they are taking ownership of the result. When you delegate outcomes instead of tasks, your team stops relying on you, and they start thinking for themselves. This builds a proactive team that’s invested in your business’s success, freeing you from the constant grind of micro-management.
This is one of the most powerful frameworks for delegation, and it's the key to maintaining control without micromanaging. It lets you stay involved in the crucial stages while empowering your team for independent execution.
Here's how it works:
The First 10% (Your Involvement): You set the vision, define the desired outcome, and provide clear expectations. This involves explaining why the task is important, what the end goal is, and any critical constraints or resources. This is where you lay the strategic groundwork.
The Middle 80% (Team's Ownership): You step back. Your team takes over. They are responsible for executing the task, problem-solving, and making progress independently. They use their skills and creativity to navigate challenges and drive towards the defined outcome. Your role here is to be available for support, not constant oversight.
The Last 10% (Your Final Review): Finally, you step back in for the last 10% to review the completed work and make any final adjustments. This isn't about nitpicking; it's about ensuring the outcome aligns with the initial vision and meets your standards for quality. It’s your quality control check before finalization.
This way, you are involved in the parts that matter most (setting direction and final approval) without wasting time on things that don't (the day-to-day execution). This is how you build a team that actually operates without you – not just extra hands completing tasks, but extra brains taking ownership, solving problems, and driving the business forward. This is how you regain precious time to work on your business instead of endlessly in it.
Training is where many sellers get stuck, wasting months trying to get someone up to speed only to feel frustrated. Here's the number one mistake: thinking you need to train someone on every single step before they can take over.
But that's not how real learning works. Just think about it: when you need to figure something out, do you need someone to hold your hand and walk you through every detail? Probably not. You search, you test, and you troubleshoot. And that's what a great hire does too.
Instead of spending weeks building endless SOPs that barely get used, focus on hiring resourceful people. People who don't just follow instructions, but know how to find answers and solve problems. Choosing the right candidate actually makes training easy. Training shouldn't be about teaching every step; it should be about filling in the gaps after they've already figured out most of it on their own.
Because if you have the right person, the steps are easy to figure out. What they need from you isn't instructions. It's absolute clarity on the outcome.
This is exactly why hiring cheap is expensive. If you go for the cheapest, least experienced option, you are not saving money. You're buying yourself another full-time job as their trainer, manager, and safety net. You have to account for the time you'll spend teaching, managing, and fixing their mistakes. When you add that up, you realize that hiring talent from the start is actually cheaper than hiring cheap. An investment in a quality team member is an investment in your own freedom and the speed of your business growth.
So, what's the best way to train someone without wasting months on it? It's called the Shadow Method, and it completely changed the way I train people.
Step 1: Shadowing (You perform, they observe).
You perform the task as you normally would, and your new team member simply watches.
This isn't just about them learning. It's also a powerful opportunity for you to refine your own process. It actually forces you to think about how you do it instead of just mindlessly doing it.
Because when you explain what you do, you start seeing bottlenecks. You realize what could be streamlined, automated, or even eliminated altogether. So, handing off a process isn't just about training; it's also a chance to make it better and more efficient for the long term.
Step 2: Reverse Shadowing (They perform, you observe and feedback).
Now, your team member does the task, and you observe. You provide immediate, specific feedback as they go.
This ensures they understand not just the steps, but the actual reasoning behind what they're doing. If they make mistakes, they're caught the right way—not after a major error has occurred and affected your business.
This phase builds confidence and competence in real-time.
SOPs (Only after initial understanding).
Only after this two-step process, once I've seen how they approach the task and understood where their natural gaps are, do I consider creating detailed SOPs.
That's the key difference. Instead of overloading them with massive SOPs upfront, I let them take the first pass. The SOPs then become targeted tools to fill in specific gaps in their workflow, rather than overwhelming instruction manuals.
This approach ensures that your team member gets hands-on experience quickly, and you only invest time in documenting the truly necessary steps, not every single micro-action.
The journey from being the bottleneck to becoming a true leader in your Amazon business isn't easy, but it's essential for sustainable growth and your own well-being. It requires a shift in mindset—from being a doer to a designer of your business.
By applying outcome-based delegation, leveraging the 10-80-10 rule, and training effectively with the Shadow Method, you can:
Free up your time: Move beyond putting out fires and working long hours on low-value tasks.
Accelerate business growth: Focus on strategic planning, launching new products, and expanding your market share.
Reduce stress and overwhelm: Distribute decision-making, alleviate anxiety, and prevent burnout.
Reignite your passion: Rediscover the joy of entrepreneurship, working on exciting, high-level challenges instead of feeling trapped.
You'll stop wondering if you accomplished anything meaningful each week. Instead, you'll be actively shaping the future of your brand, leading a capable team, and truly mastering the game of entrepreneurship.
Don't let inefficient delegation hold your Amazon business back any longer. It's time to work on your business, not just in it.
Ready to transform your Amazon business and step into the CEO role?
If you feel like you are the bottleneck in your business and you’re ready to implement proven systems and build an efficient team, I can help. You can apply to work with me one-on-one to create a tailored strategy and scale your business without sacrificing your time or peace of mind.
Click here to learn more and apply to work with me.
In our next video, we're talking about the One-Touch Rule. This simple process will help you eliminate time-wasting tasks and free up over 20 hours every week. If you ever feel like you're working all day but your business isn't actually moving forward, this is the video you need to watch. I'll walk you through a step-by-step decision tree that will show you exactly what to do with every task, so you never get stuck doing the same things over and over again.
Stay tuned, I'll see you next week!
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