Getting Started with Outsourcing Doesn't Have to be Hard. Here's How to Make it Easier
Are you starting to fall out of love with your business? Is your daily workload of tasks you would rather not be doing stealing your joy from why you started your business in the first place? Then it is time to outsource!
Making the decision to outsource is the first step - congratulations!
Getting started with outsourcing in itself can seem like yet another task but it doesn't have to be a hard one. There are a few simple considerations to make to get you started. Watch this video to learn how to decided what to outsource first and fast.
Getting Started with Outsourcing
Many people start a business so they can do what they love, and what they are good at. But as the business takes off, you quickly realise that there is more to running a business than just the fun parts that you love. You quickly have to become an expert at sales, marketing admin, finances, strategy and technology. And very soon, doing the thing you love, can turn into something annoying, hard, VERY time consuming and painful.
The quicker you realise as a business owner that you don’t have to do all these things yourself, the quicker you put yourself in a position to capitalise on people already having the experience and expertise to perform those different tasks or roles - within less time and with greater effectiveness.
It's so easy now to start a business from scratch, with very little resources.
Certainly you don't need an office, or a shopfront. You could do it with a computer, your passion and your knowledge. But for it to grow and become something bigger than just a one-man band, releasing some of the daily tasks is key.
You don't need to leave the safety of your home office for your business to grow. You can still work from your cosy desk with your fluffy slippers on! However, for your business to grow, you need help. You can't do everything yourself.
Acknowledging that you need help is the first step which can be hard. But once you finally do decide, often you don't know where to start!
Step 1
Step 1 is figuring out what to outsource first, or what tasks or projects to get help with first. And the perfect place to look is those things that are not in your zone of genius or within the area of what you love doing and are good at.
An easy rule of thumb is to simply look at the tasks that quite frankly “do your head in”. The tasks that frustrate you, that you procrastinate doing. The tasks that make you feel stressed out and make you pull your doona over your head and hit the snooze button one more time, rather than facing the desk you once loved. Think about the things that are most time consuming and that someone else could possibly do much quicker as they're more trained and have more experience doing it.
Step 2
Many business owners are concerned about what it might cost. You might think that surely people with experience will charge high amounts for good quality work. But the opposite is true. Quite often these tasks that stress you out, can be performed by someone at a cheaper hourly rate than what your time is worth. Giving you more time to focus on performing your core services which you love and which you are good at… and which also produces more income!
So have a look at what tasks you might want to outsource. It could be:
Bookkeeping
it could be getting your policies and procedures documented so that you can hire another person to help deliver your services
It could be your social media or your some part of your marketing
you might have all the marketing ideas and get the messaging right but somebody else could help you actually put that into place and execute your marketing ideas
Helping you finally publish that website or get an old site updated
Or writing catchy email sequences that can be fully automated
Not to mention the myriad of admin jobs that can be outsourced rather than stealing your daily joy!
So, if you haven't outsourced some of those sorts of tasks yet, think about it.
And then, even if you don't think you're ready yet - do it.
You can start with as little as a couple of hours a week, and it could save you a whole lot more than that.
I’d love to hear from you
Have you taken that first step and made the decision to outsource? Has this video given you confidence in taking this step? What tasks would you like help with first? Let me know in the comments below!
Starting to fall out of love with your business? If your workload is stealing your joy, please book a free call with me for an obligation-free chat. Our clients range from small to medium businesses and we support them within their budgetary means. Let’s see if we can help you too.