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You’re staring at your to-do list again.
Set up that email automation. Fix the website footer. Update your tech stack. Create that lead magnet sequence.
Some of these things, you could absolutely handle yourself. You’ve done similar tasks before, or you know exactly where to find the help you need.
Others? You’re not so sure. The tutorials seem to skip crucial steps. Or you’ve started three times and got stuck in the same place. Or you simply don’t have the hours to learn something new right now.
And so the task sits there. Creating guilt and stress. Maybe even costing you leads or clients. Blocking other work that depends on it. Draining your energy every time you see it still sitting on your list.
The question isn’t really “Can I do this myself?” The real question is: “What’s the smartest way to get this done?”
Sometimes that’s DIY. Sometimes it’s hiring help. Sometimes it’s something in between.
The tricky bit is knowing which is which.
Here’s what nobody tells you: there’s actually a framework for making this decision. And once you understand it, the choice becomes much clearer.
The Framework: Keep, Drop, or Add
I teach a framework in my Business Detective Course that applies perfectly to this decision. For every task or responsibility in your business, you have three options:
Keep it. Handle it yourself because it’s working well enough.
Drop it. Stop doing it entirely because it’s not actually essential.
Add it. Bring in help, tools, or systems because you genuinely need support.
Most people only think about “keep” (DIY) or “add” (hire help). They completely forget that “drop it” is an option.
But here’s the thing: not everything on your list actually needs to happen.
Not every automation needs to exist. Not every feature needs to be added to your website. Not every marketing channel needs to be active.
Before you waste time trying to DIY something or spend money hiring help, ask yourself: Does this actually need to happen at all?
Sometimes the answer is no. And just like that, you’ve saved yourself both time and money.
If the answer is yes, then we can work out which of the other two options makes sense.
How to Evaluate: The Three Categories
1. Time
- How long will this take you to do?
- How long would it take someone who does this regularly?
- What else could you do with that time?
- Is this a one-off task or something that will recur?
2. Skills
- Can you actually do this, or would you be learning from scratch?
- Is this something you’re good at, or something that drains you?
- Will learning this skill benefit you long-term, or is it a one-time need?
- Would someone else do this better because it’s their specialty?
3. Money
- What’s your actual budget for this right now?
- What revenue could you generate with the time you’d save by hiring help?
- What’s the cost of this not getting done at all?
- Is there a middle option (like a template or course) that costs less than full service but gives you more support than pure DIY?
When to DIY vs When to Hire Help
DIY when:
- You already have the time and the skill
- The task is part of your core business knowledge
- Learning this skill will benefit you long-term
- You actually enjoy doing it
- The budget genuinely isn’t there yet
- It’s a simple update to something you built
- You need to understand how it works for your business
Hire help when:
- It’s not your skill and would take ages to learn
- Your time is worth more doing something else
- You’ve been avoiding it for months
- It needs to be done right the first time
- You don’t have capacity right now
- It’s blocking other important work
- The cost of getting it wrong is high
What This Looks Like in Practice
Example 1: Email automation setup
DIY if: You already use Kit regularly, you’ve set up simple sequences before, and this is just adding a new welcome email to an existing flow. You know the platform and what you want to say; it’ll take you 30 minutes.
Hire help if: You need to set up behavioural automations with conditional logic, multiple pathways based on link clicks, and integration with your website. You’ve never done this before, the tutorials are confusing, and getting it wrong means people get the wrong emails. Book some Tech Hours and have us, who do this regularly, set it up properly.
Example 2: Building a website
DIY if: You’re comfortable with WordPress, you understand design basics, and you’re using one of my Website Templates as your foundation. The template gives you the structure and design, you’re customising it with your content and branding. You have the time and skill to make it work.
Hire help if: You’re starting from scratch having never built a website before, you’ve tried three times and keep getting stuck or you need a complex website with a lot of elements (like ecommerce, booking, special items).
A website is often the first impression potential clients get of your business. If you don’t feel comfortable building it yourself, we love to build your website for you. Oh and we can look at the strategy behind it too.
Example 3: Planning your marketing strategy
DIY if: You understand your business foundations. You know your offers, your audience, and what’s actually working. You just need to map out your marketing strategy and make decisions.
Hire help if: You’re overwhelmed by all the options, don’t know which marketing channel to focus on, or can’t see clearly what’s working and what’s not. Book a Pick My Brain session to work through it together, and/or join Marketing Momentum for ongoing support as you implement.
Example 4: Tech tool decisions
DIY if: You’re choosing between two email platforms and you’ve used both before. You can compare features and pricing yourself. If you want to learn more about choosing the right tech tools, read this blogpost.
Hire help if: You’re building your entire tech stack from scratch and don’t know where to start, or you’re trying to make multiple tools work together and keep hitting walls. Book a Pick My Brain session. In 30 or 120 minutes, we can work through the decision together and you’ll have clarity on what to do next.
The In-Between Option: DIY With Support
Here’s the thing: it’s not always either/or. You don’t have to choose between “figure it out completely alone” and “pay someone to do everything.”
There’s a middle ground that often makes the most sense: DIY with the right support.
Not sure what you need? No worries! Book a connection call and let’s chat!
Templates
Templates give you the structure without the guesswork. You’re not starting from a blank page trying to work out what should go where. You’ve got a proven framework to follow, but you’re filling it in with your own content and strategy.
Examples:
- My Website Templates give you professional design and structure. You customise it with your branding and content.
- My Content Calendar template gives you the planning system. You fill it in with your content strategy and ideas.
You’re doing the work yourself, but you’re not reinventing the wheel.
Courses
Courses teach you the method so you can apply it yourself. You learn a specific framework or system, then you implement it in your own business at your own pace.
Examples:
- The Content Success Course teaches you my 6 Content Types framework and how to use it. You learn the method, then create your own content using it.
- The Business Detective Course teaches you how to analyse your business properly. You do the investigation work yourself, but you have the framework to guide you.
You build the skill yourself, but you’re not guessing at the process.
Strategy call
You’ve built most of it yourself, but there’s one decision you can’t make or one technical bit where you’re stuck. Booking a short strategy session is most of the time all you need.
For instance, booking a 30-minute Pick My Brain session. We work through that specific problem together, you get unstuck, and you carry on with the rest yourself.
You’re not handing over the whole project. You’re just getting expert input on the exact bit where you need it.
Accountability helps you actually finish what you start
Sometimes you know exactly what to do and how to do it. You just can’t seem to make yourself do it consistently.
That’s where Marketing Momentum comes in. You’re still doing all the work yourself, but you’ve got regular check-ins, accountability, and co-working sessions to keep you moving forward.
You’re not stuck in “I’ll get to it eventually” limbo.
How to Make This Decision Right Now
You’ve got the framework. You’ve seen the examples. Now let’s make this practical.
Pick one task from your list right now. The one that’s been sitting there creating guilt and stress.
Ask yourself these three questions:
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- Does this actually need to happen?
Seriously. Does it? Or is this something you think you “should” do because everyone else is doing it?
If it doesn’t actually need to happen, cross it off. You’re done.
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- Do I have the time, skill, and capacity to do this well right now?
Not eventually. Not if you had unlimited hours. Right now, with everything else on your plate.
Be honest. If the answer is yes, do it yourself. If the answer is no, move to question three.
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- What’s the smartest way to get this done?
- Full DIY because you have what you need
- DIY with support (template, course, quick expert input, accountability)
- Hire help because this needs expert hands
There’s no wrong answer. There’s just the answer that makes sense for this specific task, at this specific time, with your specific resources. And if that is help from us, then we are here to help!
