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Are You Still Doing These 5 Tasks

Yourself?

Christina Metcalf is a writer and women’s speaker who believes in the power of story She works with small businesses, chambers of commerce, and business professionals who want to make an impression and grow a loyal customer/member base. She is the author of The Glinda Principle, rediscovering the magic within.

Facebook: @metcalfwriting

Instagram: @christinametcalfauthor

LinkedIn: @christinametcalf5

How many of your daily business tasks are things you do to keep your business open, not to advance it forward?

If you’re like many entrepreneurs probably a good portion of them

While there’s a strange sense of pride in saying, “I do everything myself,” there comes a time in your business where it no longer makes sense doing everything yourself Those actions stop being resourceful and start becoming expensive.

Every hour you spend on repetitive administrative work is an hour you’re not serving customers, building relationships, improving your products, or finding new business.

In the past, making that jump to allow others to do things for you was a big deal. These days it’s becoming less so. You no longer need a full-time assistant to reclaim your schedule. Between AI tools, inexpensive automation platforms, and freelancers, many of the tasks that once required another employee can now be handled for just a few dollars, or maybe even less

But where should you begin and how do you decide what to offload and what to hang on to? We’ve compiled five tasks that most business pros should consider reassigning this week

1. Stop Writing Every Email From Scratch

If you find yourself typing the same responses repeatedly, you’re wasting valuable time.

List the emails you send regularly:

Appointment confirmations

Estimates and proposals

Frequently asked questions

Follow-up messages

Thank-you emails

Directions to your office

New customer welcome messages

Instead of recreating them every time, build a small library of templates. Then let AI customize them for each recipient so they still sound personal.

For example, instead of writing the answer to “Can you tell me your pricing?”, from scratch every time, you might prompt AI with:

“Rewrite this pricing email in a warm, conversational tone for a first-time customer interested in <your service or product>.” Then customize the prompt with anything fitting the request.

The email stays professional, and you save several minutes each time Multiply that by dozens of emails every week, and you’ve recovered hours of time

2. Stop Scheduling Everything Manually

Many business owners spend an astonishing amount of time trying to coordinate calendars

“Does Tuesday work?”

“No, what about Thursday?”

“I can do Thursday after 2.”

“Actually, something came up…”

It becomes a full-time job that resembles the back and forth of a game at Wimbledon, just not as fast and entertaining

These days, scheduling platforms let customers pick from available times without endless back-and-forth emails.

Most integrate with your calendar automatically and send reminders, reducing no-shows along the way. Plus, it looks more professional and shows you take tech seriously If you’re not using a scheduler, you look like you’re not in line with the times

For businesses where appointments are central to customers, this may be one of the highest-return changes you can make.

3. Stop Creating Every Social Media Post From Scratch

Social media is important, but who can spare the hours every week to grow an engaged following? There’s a faster way

Instead of sitting down every morning wondering what to post, batch your content Write down ten customer questions you’ve answered recently. Those questions become posts.

Turn one blog article into:

A LinkedIn post

Three Facebook updates

Five short social posts

An email newsletter

A customer FAQ

AI can help you repurpose your existing content into multiple formats while you add your own personality and expertise. The result is more consistent marketing with far less effort.

4. Stop Organizing Files One Document at a Time

Digital clutter wastes more time than most business owners realize Searching for the latest proposal, hunting through downloads, or wondering which version is final may only take a few minutes each day, but those minutes add up over a year.

Spend one hour this week creating a simple folder structure and naming convention. Then automate the rest. Many cloud storage platforms can automatically sort documents, while AI-powered tools can summarize meeting notes, organize transcripts, and even pull action items from conversations

rest Many cloud storage platforms can automatically sort documents, while AI-powered tools can summarize meeting notes, organize transcripts, and even pull action items from conversations.

This organizational task is a huge future time saver, not to mention it sets you up for success should you bring on another employee It will now be much easier for them to find things you’re asking for

5. Stop Being Your Own Data Entry Clerk

If you’re copying customer information from one system into another, there’s a good chance technology can do it quicker. Automation tools can connect software you already use. When someone fills out a contact form, their information can automatically be added to your CRM, email marketing platform, invoicing system, or project management software

Even if you only save ten minutes a day, that’s more than 40 hours a year That’s an entire workweek recovered without adding staff.

You don’t have to be a technology expert to figure this out. Many of today’s automation tools use simple “if this happens, do that” workflows that require little or no coding

No Need to Start Over

Reading an article like this can make it feel like you need to automate your entire business by Monday You don’t.

Choose the task that frustrates you the most. Time yourself doing it. If it’s repetitive, predictable, and happens every week, ask one simple question:

“Does this really require me?”

If the answer is no, explore whether AI, automation software, or a freelance professional could handle it

Customers still want relationships, expertise, creativity, and trust. Those are the things only you can provide. But an email can be written by anyone (or anything). Stop spending your most valuable hours on work that doesn’t require your unique skills

Your business won’t grow because you get really good at filing or writing emails It grows when you spend more time doing the work only you can do

Technology should free you to be more human, not less. And if reclaiming even five hours a week means you can serve more customers, develop a new product, or simply leave the office in time for dinner, that’s a pretty good return on investment.

LeadersRoundtable Leaders Roundtable

Leaders Roundtable Minutes

Date: 06/17/2026

Time: 9:01AM-10:08AM

Location: Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce

Attendance: Lisa Bonnington, Jana Modena, Sandy Person, Tim Murril, Derek Bromstead, Sophia Gomez, Anna Guiles, Scott Tonnesen, David Gassaway, Kai Eusebio, Wanda Williams

The meeting was called to order by Jana Modena at 9:01AM

1. Federal, State, & County Updates

- Sophia Gomez (Congressman Garamendi’s Office): Reported on the NDAA Amendments, focusing on a $1.1 trillion bill for military facilities and the Ships Act to improve readiness. Supporting the Build America 250 bill which will create new roads and bridges, as well as provisions from the Transportation Relief Act and the Bridge Corrosion Prevention Act. The Maritime Summit is scheduled for 09/10 to discuss the future of Bay Area maritime businesses.

Kai Eusebio (Office of Assemblywoman Lori Wilson): Confirmed that previously briefed bills, including organic waste and genetic testing legislation, have advanced to the Senate.

Wanda Williams (Solano County): Preparing the budget review, facing a $14 million deficit, with a $1.7 billion goal for 2027. Budget meetings are set for 06/23 and late July. Studies are underway for the I-80 Interchange and sewer capacity. Meetings on shipbuilding are planned, and the county is working with the Chamber of Commerce on a "State of the County" event which will be held in November.

2. City of Fairfield

- David Gassaway: Former Mayor Moy resigned; Rick Vaccaro selected as acting mayor through November. Election for the next four-year term is upcoming. The $100,000 Fairfield arch restoration goal has been exceeded, with renovations to be unveiled at the 4th of July Parade, honoring donors including the Lion's Club, Jelly Belly Factory, and

Medic Ambulance. Anheuser-Busch bid negotiations are ongoing with a national investment firm, with assurances it will remain a manufacturer. Presentation on Measure P Ballot Measure is scheduled for 06/30.

Anna Guiles: The city is accepting applications for the North Texas grant program; Hometown Car Wash was approved. North Texas Street Business Association is promoting the program, spearheaded by Jennifer Rice. New business openings downtown include Dumpling House, Eventive Co Working, and Archers Den. Paradise Valley Estates is remodeling, adding healthcare and recreational facilities. Recruitment at the city is open for engineers and building inspectors; Jeff Thomas is retiring as acting building manager.

Scott Tonnesen: Boudreaux which is a Cajun steakhouse, is opening downtown soon. The owner also acquired the old Pepperbelly’s lot to potentially construct a wine amphitheater. There are discussions regarding a new soccer shop opening downtown as well.

3. Community Organizations

- Lisa Bonnington (FSCC): The North Texas Street Business Association executive committee is reviewing the street porter service contract to keep North Texas clean. A new"feet on the street" campaign will promote the revitalization program to businesses. New resources include a community calendar, Chamber app, and a "Business Buzz" podcast. A "Commerce Cup" pickleball tournament between Fairfield and Vacaville is being planned. Terrence Strong will be the next acting chair. "Best of 2026" is scheduled for 10/09. A 5013C is being established for new leadership programs, coinciding with the SBDC. The Chamber is assisting with the Fairfield 4th of July Parade. Mixers are set for 07/09 (Taste of the World being the theme), and lunch & learns are scheduled for 07/16 and 08/12.

Tim Murrill (SBDC): Tim has taken the place of Mike Basayne at the roundtable. A new $500 million stability grant for businesses with up to 500 employees, offered by the Workforce Development Board, will be available in July to support those affected by recent business closures.

Sandy Person (TCC): Operating on a 24/7 basis with a $1.5 trillion budget. Focus areas include energy resiliency and land acquisition for a new taxiway. Maintenance is being impacted by the cost of war.

Derek Bromstead (Wiseman Commercial): Highlighted the well-attended joint chamber mixer at the Vacaville Solano College Campus. Added to the Chamber board: Elease Cheek (California Forever), Charmaine Gandy (The Vault Event Center), and Darlyn Pazdel (Pride Industries). TRAFC (An organization jointly run by the Fairfield and Vacaville chambers to support the Airmen.) hosted a contractors forum with 40 attendees, which went over how to qualify and conduct business with the base. TRAFC is issuing a "Community Heart Award" for airmen, to be presented in July; nominations are open until Friday. A recent TRAFC meeting featured a lecture from the base historian on the base’s founding. The Fairfield Pickleball Club held a tournament at The Picklr, which officially opens this Friday.

4. City of Suisun

- Ashley Nash: The Fire Department is hosting a community event on 06/18. Park improvements include new restrooms/landscaping at Bella Vista and the near-completion of Heritage Park. Prosperity Garden held a series on sustainable landscaping. Upcoming events include a July 4th concert and a Sunday Jazz on the waterfront series. The city is implementing ADA improvements, fire warning systems, and pedestrian improvements. New businesses opening include Ross pay for less and a Dutch Bros. Ned’s Pizza and Wings is now open in Suisun.

5. Meeting Adjournment

- The meeting was adjourned by Jana Modena at 10:08 AM.

The next meeting is scheduled for 07/15 at 9 AM.

Primerica Financial Services

Western Health Advantage

River Valley Insurance

Fairfield Community Services Foundation

Miracle Math Coaching

The Daily Desk

North American Mental Health Services -NAMHS

Bab's Delta Diner

Emily Dumdummaya & Associates - Freedom Equity Group

SOLANO TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY

FAIRFIELD COMMUNITY SERVICES FOUNDATION

SOLANO COUNTY REPUBLICAN CENTRAL COMMITTEE

YOU ARE INVITED Chamber 101: New Member Orientation

07/14/26 | 4:00pm-5:00pm

Get the Most Out of Your Membership

Whether you just joined or need a refresher, Chamber 101 is your go-to session for maximizing your investment in the Fairfield-Suisun Chamber of Commerce This fun, fast-paced orientation will introduce you to all the tools, connections, and opportunities available through your membership.