If you’ve ever worked for a large corporation, you may have an instinctive distrust of outsourcing. In the corporate world, news headlines are full of firms who made the decision to entrust key aspects of their corporation’s services abroad, and met with complaints from disgruntled customers who wanted to deal with people who weren’t offshore. Similarly, many people who have worked in larger organizations have faced the uncertainty of job losses if a particular element of the business is outsourced, and this carries with it a natural distrust of anything associated with the word.
When you first set up your business and make the decision to work for yourself, it can seem that the entire enterprise is overwhelming. However, there is huge satisfaction to be had from managing all aspects of the business development process by yourself. From marketing to social media, financial planning to strategy setting, each area of the business needs your full attention, the best of your knowledge and abilities, and a great deal of hard work to undertake. However, because the enterprise is new, each task holds its own rewards in terms of advancing your understanding and aiding the ongoing quest to make a success of the venture.
Because of this, few people would choose to outsource most elements of their business start-up. Another practical consideration for new starters is the obvious fact that funds can be very tight. When you’re having to choose how to spend a limited budget wisely, the thought of handing over a significant chunk of your budget to a third party to deliver services can be off-putting. Similarly, it can be difficult when you first set out in your business venture to know who to trust. No matter how many cautionary tales we read about entrepreneurs who have been stung by falling for scams or unscrupulous traders, there will always be people out there willing to compromise their good standing by taking advantage of a naïve new face in the industry.
With all of these considerations to think about, it’s surprising that anyone actually takes the plunge and outsources any aspect of their business. However, as things settle down and your business begins to flourish and grow, it can quickly get to a point where outsourcing is a very sensible option.
When you think about it, no single person is an expert in every element of business. This is why we turn to people for key aspects of our ongoing management for the venture, such as accountants, web developers, marketers, writers or strategists. When every day is taken up with growing our business, developing new products/services, updating a blog, accounts for the year or running a targeted marketing campaign outsourcing can become increasing attractive.
A good rule of thumb for choosing when to outsource work is to consider the pros and cons of doing so. If every day you are feeling so stretched with the amount of work you have to do and you are struggling to keep up with the growth and success of your business, it could be time to draft in some expert help. Whether this is a consultant to take care of your financial side of things, an online marketing expert to run your advertising, or someone who can come in and take over administration, answering the phone or dealing with invoices, even the smallest input can free up time and let you concentrate on what you do best – running your business.
When you start to consider outsourcing, take some time to research the best firms or individuals who can meet your needs. Check out recommendations from colleagues and peers, and choose people based upon their specific skill set and abilities. Only go with people who have a proven track record for delivering, or you can find yourself spending more time chasing for results than it would take you to actually do the job yourself.
Finally, when it comes to outsourcing aspects of your business, it’s important to remember to let things go. Once you’ve found a trusted resource, don’t waste your time doing elements of the job yourself, no matter how tempting it may be. While it can be tough to let certain responsibilities go when your own business success is riding on the outcome, it’s time to accept that your success so far means you need to trust other people to help you out, to take your business on to the next level.
Looking to outsource? Our friends at Fiverr can help!
At www.StartBizQuitJob.com we give you everything that an aspiring entrepreneur like you needs to create a business startup, so you can leave your 9 to 5.
