Business owners are accustomed to wearing many hats to keep growing and scaling their company.

The struggle is fulfilling these duties all while maintaining a little money in their pockets. But, did you know that by choosing to work this way could be costing you money?

If you are spending a lot of your time on billing when it’s not your strong suit, that could lead into many hours wasted on that one task. Meanwhile hiring a bookkeeper who could do the job in a couple of hours would be the brilliant thing to do. ‘

Fortunately, it’s not a difficult task to outsource the areas that are your weak areas. You should feel no shame in removing a few of the hats you are wearing to lighten the load.   

Progressive entrepreneurs understand the overwhelming power of outsourcing. Outsourcing some of the responsibility to an individual that is skilled in that niche is a smart way to do business. It is never wise to try to do a job that you have no training in because all you are doing is wasting time. And, time is money!

“Outsourcing to Others May Save Your Business”

Highly Skilled Expertise.

It’s best to take care of first things first. If you are trying to decide whether to start on your business journey, be sure to go into a business that heightens your strengths from the beginning.

If you are a product person first and a marketer person second, try hiring a marketing company where you then have the best of both worlds. Or, if your strong point is content strategy, but you are less motivated in marketing, hire a content marketer to deliver your vision to execution. The idea is to label your weaknesses and your most dreaded tasks. Then outsource those tasks so you can better focus on divisions that best suit your talents.

If you are unsure about where to start when you are ready to outsource a few responsibilities, don’t be shy to ask for suggestions. If you are weak when it comes to bookkeeping, then consider outsourcing that division to an expert in that field.

By making this change, you are freeing up your time while gaining an expert opinion on your company’s financial status.

The same strategy goes for other departments such as your marketing, your website design or any other high-level decision-making area. Together with strategic business building, marketing or any other higher-level decision-making areas.

Sit down and analyze what you can do yourself or what would be smart for you to turn loose.

Get Rid of Repetitive Tedious Tasks.

Just because you know how to do something doesn’t mean you are the best person for the job in your company. Outsourcing simple tasks can be relatively cheap. Work such as collecting contact information for leads or data entry is easy to pass off to another employee. Also, you are making yourself available to do more critical company projects. 

Now you can use your new freedom to focus on things that move your company successfully. Do things such as in-person networking or strategizing a marketing campaign. Outsourcing may be what saves your business.

As the owner of your business, you shouldn’t use up your weekends doing the tedious task that can be very time-consuming. Assignments such as filing papers or handling social media responses and likes on Facebook can quickly be passed on to another person.

Set Your Budget to Include Outsourcing.

You don’t have to create an extensive budget to begin outsourcing your weaknesses and job details that waste your time. For example, you can outsource a few hours a week of data entry that might only cost $20-$30.00 in a business that has temporary workers.

To start, place your focus on that task that takes up most of your time. Now, estimate the hours you think it would take for an experienced individual to get the job done. From there, it’s all about focusing and squeezing your budget to make up the extra cost from other areas. 

By outsourcing, you can have access to the level of quality you need to increase effectiveness. Take a long look at your core values within the company to establish your weaknesses and your strengths. 

Don’t outsource any of these tasks because you just don’t want to do a job, but rather because you understand it will advance your growth. Now, as your company grows, you should reinvest the income back into your business and outsource even more duties one at a time.

Invest in Qualified Contractors.

Freelancers and qualified contractors are an eager online market. You can find a service that offers just about anything you can name. However, you must be careful when dealing with freelancers online.

If possible, rely on word-of-mouth referrals. Asking business associates what service they use is a great place to start. Even if you start out with small, simple project and grow from there, you are still taking a little business pressure off you as you go.

Assign Small Basic Assignments.

Word-of-mouth referrals and excellent online reviews can offer you some information on your contractor’s skills, but that alone shouldn’t replace a series of basic assignments. Assign a small job detail to see how your interested party does with it.

If they do a suitable job, but it’s not as comprehensive as you’d like, talk to them about your expectations and exactly what you are looking for in a worker. If they are willing to learn and you can tell they are eager to rise to the occasion, give them a shot.

Chances are they are accepting of the process and can soon progress well to your outsourcing needs.   

Tips for Posting Project Requirements.

• Write a description in as basic understanding terms as possible
• Set clear milestones for payments 
• Ask someone else to read the project description before submitting it
• Establish a non-disclosure agreement if you are concerned about protecting your idea or intellectual property.   
• Make sure you are dealing with a real entity
• Make your project sound adventurous and exciting
• Explain how good it will appear in a portfolio
• Use a project management tool to track your projects

5 Responsibilities and Tasks You Should Delegate as a Business Owner

Owning a business is equally gratifying and terrifying. While it can be exciting, it can be overwhelming.

This can lead to micromanaging, struggling to delegate and trying to control every aspect of your business. However, holding on too tightly can hinder business growth, while leaving you feeling stressed and overworked. This means that rather than promoting success, this can result in a downfall.

As such, it’s important to learn when to let go.

To help, here are the areas to consider delegating, to prevent you from sweating the small stuff.

Customer Service

Many small businesses struggle with providing great customer service. This is often due to limited staffing, making it difficult to answer all queries in a timely manner. However, customers are at the heart of a business, so they must be a priority.

Outsourcing can help by providing customers with quick responses, fast resolution of complaints, and improving customer experience.

Social Media Management

Along with customer service, social media is one of the main ways a business interacts with its customers. But more than this, it’s an important part of a digital marketing strategy.

When utilised well, social media can help to create a strong business brand, increase trust and connect with customers. So, delegate social media management to help your company grow.

Administrative Duties

Every business has many administrative tasks that must be completed daily. These are essential to keep a company running efficiently, but they can also be time-consuming.

To free up time for core activities, outsource your administrative functions. This could include bookkeeping and accounting, scheduling, arranging business travel, proofreading, event planning, or hiring a virtual assistant.

Shipping and Logistics

When it comes to delivering your products, you want to make sure they arrive on time and in the right condition. While some small businesses choose to operate their own fleet, handling your own shipping can be stressful and more expensive.

Instead, outsourcing to a third party provides a range of services and expert knowledge, from parcels to pallet deliveries.

Web Design

Unless you’re a web design specialist, this is an area that can be daunting. Although you can buy templates, when you want to promote your brand, you need a unique website that’s tailored to your business.

To make sure your website is professional, user-friendly and fast loading, delegate to a web designer, who can make sure your site is up to scratch.

Learning to delegate is an important skill for a business owner. But it’s also essential to know when, and what type of tasks, to outsource.

Hopefully, this list has helped and made you feel ready to hand over control.

In Conclusion

Although like anytime you go outside of yourself to place responsibility in the hands of others, there is risk involved. But, if you handle the outsourcing the proper way, you cut down on those risk. The advantages you get from freeing yourself up a little far outweigh the risk.

By hiring a freelancer or a temp worker, you are getting some work taken off your shoulders without the burden of a full-time employee. Remember, start off easy and work your way up to more in-house or freelance workers. The first step is admitting you need help and being ok with receiving it as you build your company.     

About The Author

This is a guest post by Jessica Anderson.