I used to believe that if I wanted something done right, I had to do it myself.

As someone who’s built businesses from the ground up, from an online bridal wear startup in Ghana to co-founding a payroll company in Nigeria that raised venture capital, to running my current beauty business, Imara Beauty, across Ghana and the UK, I thought my hands-on approach was my superpower. I was the person who could code, design user flows, run performance marketing campaigns, optimize conversion rates and manage social strategy. Why wouldn’t I just handle everything?

Over time, I became the bottleneck to the growth of my ventures.

The Dilemma

Looking back, my control issues stemmed from a few places:

Fear of losing quality: I had built my reputation on attention to detail. What if someone else’s work didn’t meet my standards?

Perfectionism: I had this vision of how things should be done, and deviating from that vision felt like compromise.

Learning to Let Go (Without Losing Control)

The shift didn’t happen overnight. It was a gradual process that required me to fundamentally change how I viewed leadership, especially in the context of building businesses and nurturing the women in my community.

1. Starting with Systems, Not People

My background in conversion rate optimization taught me something crucial: before you optimize anything, you need to understand the current process. So instead of just throwing tasks at people, I started by documenting exactly how I did things and created a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for all the areas of my business.

For Imara Beauty, I created detailed processes for everything from product quality control to customer service responses. For Zero To Woman, I mapped out event planning workflows and content creation guidelines. 

2. The Art of Strategic Delegation

I learned there’s a difference between dumping tasks and strategic delegation. Dumping is when you hand off work you don’t want to do. Strategic delegation is when you hand off work that others can do better than you, or that develops their skills while freeing you to focus on higher-impact activities.

So, instead of personally managing every social media post for Imara Beauty, I started delegating the content creation while maintaining oversight of brand voice and strategy. Instead of facilitating every Zero To Woman workshop myself, I began training other women in the community to lead sessions in their areas of expertise.

3. Creating Leaders, Not Just Followers

The biggest mindset shift was realizing that my job wasn’t to create people who could execute my vision perfectly. It was to create people who could expand and improve upon my vision.

Some of the most impactful programs and ideas we now run came from ideas came from my team. And they’re better because of that diverse input.

4. The Feedback Loop Revolution

I implemented regular feedback cycles not just me giving feedback to others, but actively seeking input on my leadership style. I asked my team: “What would help you feel more empowered to make decisions?” “Where do you think I’m micromanaging?” “What decisions do you think you should own?”

These conversations were sometimes uncomfortable, but they were transformative. I discovered that my team often had better ideas than I did, they just needed the space and permission to share them.

The Ripple Effects

Learning to delegate effectively changed the entire culture of everything I was building. I now only do what moves the needle and allow others do the rest.

In Imara Beauty: My team became more innovative. When they felt ownership over their domains, they started bringing solutions I never would have thought of. Our customer service improved because the team closest to our customers had the autonomy to solve problems immediately.

In Zero To Woman: The community became more vibrant and diverse. When other women stepped into leadership roles, they brought perspectives and experiences that enriched everyone’s journey. The community wasn’t just about my vision anymore, it was about our collective growth.

In my professional work: I became better at my core strengths. When I stopped trying to do everything, I could focus on what I did best using data and storytelling to optimize experiences that genuinely connect with people.

The Ongoing Journey

I won’t pretend I’ve perfected this. There are still moments when I catch myself jumping in to “fix” something instead of coaching someone through it. There are decisions I should delegate but haven’t. Old habits die hard.

But I’ve learned that good leadership isn’t about having all the answers, it’s about creating space for others to find their own answers. It’s about building systems that work without you, and teams that can exceed what you could accomplish alone.

Finally…

If you’re anything like I was, convinced that your hands-on approach is what makes you valuable, I want to challenge that thinking.

Your value isn’t in doing everything. Your value is in creating conditions where everyone can do their best work. Your worth isn’t measured by how indispensable you are, but by how capable you make others.

Whether you’re building a business, leading a team, or nurturing a community, the question isn’t “How can I maintain control?” It’s “How can I multiply impact?”

Learning to delegate wasn’t just a business skill for me. It was a leadership transformation that rippled through every area of my work and life. And honestly? The businesses, the community, and the people I work with are all better for it.