The Most Common Way Business Owners Waste Their Time: How The 10 80 10 Rule Helps

Stop wasting your time on your business.

I know that running a business means you have a lot of stuff to get done.

The important thing is to know what stuff YOU have to get done versus what stuff YOU SHOULDN’T being doing.

Let’s talk about one of the most common mistakes business owner-operators make and how you can get hours of your life back.

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the sheer volume of tasks on your plate—whether it’s operations, financial management, marketing, working with employees, or dealing with customers—you are not alone.

It’s easy to get bogged down and lose sight of your real job as a business owner: leading your company and driving growth.

Let’s talk about the 10-80-10 rule - a simple, but powerful framework that helps make the most of your time and drive success for your business. That means your business can thrive without burning you out.

With this time management tactic, you get work done without doing all the work yourself.

What Is The 10-80-10 Rule?

Here’s the idea: every task or project you tackle can be broken into three parts.

• The first 10% is all about planning. This is where the goals, vision, and strategy are set.
• The middle 80% is the actual execution—the hands-on work that brings the task to life.
• The final 10% is the review and polish phase, where you make sure the work is up to standard and ready to go.

Here’s the key: as the business owner, your focus should be on the first 10% and the final 10%. The middle 80%? That’s where your team—or an outside expert—comes in.

Why? Because your time is best spent on big-picture thinking and final approval, not in the weeds of execution.

The idea boils down to doing the things you are good at or that you need to do, but not doing more beyond that.

Focus on the areas where your expertise matters most, delegate the rest, and ultimately save yourself a ton of time and stress.

This can apply to every part of your business.

Is My Business Big Enough To Use 10-80-10 Rule?

Yes, if you are running a brand new company, chances are you’re saying – but I don’t have the money or the staff to do this - I can’t do the 10-80-10 rule.

Wrong.

Prioritizing how your business operates starts on day one.

Even as a brand new business, there are times where you need to figure out how to get outside help. Like setting up your business legally or handling taxes and accounting for it.

Let’s look at that from a 10-80-10 Rule mindset to improve your time management skills.

If you’re starting a new business, there is some stuff you need to have ready. If you’re smart about it, you’ll likely have some sort of legal business set up. Specifically, forming an LLC or whatever business entity set up makes sense for you.

What Your Legal Business Set Up Looks Like If You Do 100%

Is it possible for you to start and run a business doing the legal stuff on your own?

Yes, it is possible for you to do your research, form your business, file your annual reports, handle DBA registration, and do whatever legal things you may have to do 100% on your own.

But is that the smartest way for you to spend your time?

Chances are that…

• It will take you a long time to do all of that research
• You’ll have continued work for yourself year-over-year to maintain that status yourself
• You might miss something, make mistakes, and put yourself at legal or financial risk since you’re likely not a legal or financial expert first.

What Your Legal Business Set Up Looks Like If You Do 20%

To best get the job done and protect yourself, it makes more sense to use the 10-80-10 rule.

• The first 10% is you getting references or doing research to find the right service or professional to help you legally set up your business. It would also include anything you absolutely must bring to the table, like your legal business name, obtaining required licenses, or getting an EIN.
• Your selected individual or vendor should do the next 80% of the set-up—including having the requisite legal background, education, and experience to make recommendations and decisions properly. They do the grunt work, getting your legal ducks in a row.
• For the final 10%, you come back and make sure that your name is what you want, that you sign where you are supposed to sign, and that you understand any continuing requirements and responsibilities to maintain your business structure.

Using the 10-80-10 rule, you will have to pay other people for work to get done. But in return, you get two major benefits.

• You get more time for you to do the things you are good at or that you need to do.
• The job gets done with a level of expertise and completeness that you likely wouldn’t have achieved all on your own.

If you have a newer business and or are the owner-operator of a younger company, you may have to grind more. But you still shouldn’t do everything on your own. If you’re doing it all, you’ve just given yourself a job; you’re not really running a business.

Ways For Small Business Owners To Use The 10-80-10 Rule

If you are a general contractor or otherwise with subcontractors, you already know how this works without realizing it.

• You spend the first 10% finding trusted subs and ensuring they understand the scope of their work.
• The middle 80% is your sub actually doing the work.
• The final 10% is your assessment of the sub’s work and ensuring it meets the project requirements.

However, there are other ways construction and home service business owners and managers can fully take advantage of the 10-80-10 rule and accomplish more work without having to do all the work themselves.

Hiring and Onboarding New Employees

Let’s say you’re an HVAC contractor who needs to hire a new technician.

• The first 10% involves defining the role, setting expectations, and working with your team to create a job description. You might want to weigh in on things like qualifications, company culture fit, and payscale.
• But the middle 80%? That’s the grunt work: posting the job online, screening resumes, scheduling interviews, and conducting reference checks. This is where you can rely on an office manager or even an HR service.
• Once your team has narrowed it down to the final candidates, you step back in for the final 10%—making the hiring decision and personally welcoming the new hire.

By following this process, you ensure that you’re involved in the most important parts, but you’re not wasting hours sifting through resumes.

Customer Service Issues

Imagine a customer calls with a complaint about a recent plumbing job.

• The first 10% might involve creating a clear policy for how complaints are handled. You provide the framework: what steps to take, how to document the issue, and when to escalate it.
• Your team handles the middle 80%: contacting the customer, troubleshooting the issue, and coordinating any necessary fixes.
• You step in only at the final 10%—maybe to approve a refund or discount or to personally follow up with the customer to ensure they’re satisfied.

This approach keeps you from getting stuck in every small issue while still maintaining your leadership presence.

Starting Your Website

What if you’re a newer business and you need to establish your core marketing efforts

• The first 10% is about finding a good marketing partner and working with them to provide the necessary seed information, such as your logo, colors, and details about your business, that allows that marketing team to put your plan into action.
• The middle 80% is drafting content, preparing site structure, designing, coding, and launching the website. It also includes preparing plans for future website growth and improvements over time.
• The last 10% is completing the necessary approvals to launch your website and understanding how to continue to get the maximum value from your online marketing presence.

By applying the 10-80-10 Rule to these tasks, you’re staying involved in the big-picture decisions while trusting your team or a trusted professional to handle the execution.

Why Business Owners Struggle With Doing Everything Themselves

So, why is this so hard for business owners?

The short answer is: control. A lot of us think, “If I don’t do it myself, it won’t be done right.” And sure, maybe you can do it better than your team—but should you?

Every minute you spend in the middle 80% is a minute you’re not focusing on growing your business. You’re not closing deals, meeting with clients, or planning your next big move.

It’s about shifting your mindset from “doer” to “leader.”

How You Can Start Using The 10-80-10 Rule

Ready to apply the 10/80/10 Rule to your business? Here’s how to start:

• Audit your time — Take a week to track how you’re spending your hours. How much of your time is spent in the middle 80%?
• Identify tasks to delegate — Make a list of repetitive tasks that don’t require your direct involvement. Could someone on your team handle these? Could you outsource them?
• Trust your team — Train your team to handle the middle 80%. This isn’t about micromanaging—it’s about empowering them to execute your vision.
• Find partners to lean on — You don’t have to run every single part of your business from inside your company walls. A smaller business wouldn’t necessarily have a CPA on the payroll as full-time staff for the sake of running your taxes. There are lots of places, like your marketing and advertising, where industry partners can help you shoulder the burden and deliver superior results over DIY or less experienced local staff with fewer resources compared to an agency or full company.
• Focus on the bookends — Spend your energy on setting the vision and reviewing the results. Those are the areas where you add the most value.

Start Using The 10-80-10 Rule To Build Your Business And Give You Hours Back In Your Day

The 10-80-10 Rule isn’t just a time management hack—it’s a leadership strategy.

When you focus on the first and last 10% of a task and delegate the rest, you’re not just saving time—you’re building a business that runs more efficiently and grows more sustainably.

If you’re ready to take the next step and want help with that middle 80% of your marketing and advertising, Footbridge Media's contractor marketing program is the right choice for your business.

About Chris Lonergan

Chris Lonergan has over 12 years of contractor marketing experience with Footbridge Media. With a background in web design, print design, content creation, and online marketing, Chris is focused on providing quality marketing and business solutions in the construction and service industries - helping small business owners to more efficiently manage their companies and grow their operations.

Chris Lonergan has previously contributed to and/or been featured in PM Magazine (Plumbing & Mechanical | Contractors x Engineers), theNEWS (ACHR - Air Conditioning | Heating | Refrigeration), Service Roundtable's blog, inPAINT Magazine, the SMB Marketing Agency Show, and the Green Industry Podcast. Chris is also a past SGI/CertainPath breakout session presenter.

About Chris Lonergan