Most small business owners are fiercely proud and protective of their business. As they should be! When you start thinking of all the amazing and hard things that you’ve done to build your business, I’m sure that the list would be miles long. You’re building a business with so much of your own time and effort, and it shows. But did you also know that it’s impossible for you to do absolutely everything for your business? In fact, your business will grow faster and more efficiently if you outsource some of your work.
The first sign that you need to outsource a job is when your current staff become overwhelmed and can’t complete all of the tasks necessary to run your business. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to hire another full-time employee. The tasks may be easily completed in a few short hours by an expert in the field.
The beauty of modern technology has made virtual bookkeeping, assistants, graphic designers, HR consultants, IT support, and more easily accessible through remote means. Outsourcing tasks to a remote consultant is a win-win situation for your business because you won’t have to hire a full-time employee, and costs will be lower because you will not have to cover their overhead costs with remote contracts.
Another sure-fire sign that you will benefit from outsourcing is that you don’t have the skill set to complete the job! You can certainly try to learn every single aspect of your business, but that can be time consuming and you may not have all the best skills for it. Without bringing in outside help, your business flow can become stalled. While it can be tedious to find the right person for the job, once you’ve built up a team of trusted contractors, you’ll know exactly who to call when the need arises.
That being said, don’t outsource a job just because it’s tedious or you don’t want to do it. If you or one of your employees has the skill set to complete the job, consider managing your time or redefining tasks to complete it in a timelier fashion. Outsourcing every mundane task can ultimately cost your business more money than keeping it in house. Keep your outsourcing for other tasks that must be done by outside professionals.
Always be on the lookout for aspects of your business that you could be sourcing to other companies. It will save you time and energy while allowing you to focus on the bigger picture for growing your business.