Introduction
Have you ever thought about why you started or want to start an online business? Is it because you wanted to spend more time at home? Is it because you wanted to make more money than what your current job was giving you? Maybe it’s both.
Regardless of the reasons you have, owning your own online business is a lot of work. It can be time consuming and drain all of your energy by the end of each day. A successful business has a ton of tasks that you have to do in order to keep it going.
If you’re anything like the many other Internet marketers out there you’re probably inundated with more work than you really want. You might feel that by the time you finally finish one task there’s another waiting in the wings to get done now.
There is a solution to this kind of problem, if you’re willing to let go of some of that work. Now, we’re not talking about just letting things slide. You know you can’t do that. We’re talking about using the same technique that others have used for years – Outsourcing.
Outsourcing is assigning specified tasks to someone else for completion. This allows you to get the work done, but you don’t have to be the one doing it all. Handing over some of your work enables you to have more time to do other things like focusing on other aspects of your business or just spending some much needed and deserved time away from it.
Getting a right hand person to help can make a whole world of difference for you. One of the most important differences will leave you refreshed and ready to tackle a new day of work each and every day. So, continue on to find out more about this life-saving technique.
Pros And Cons Of Outsourcing
You’re a smart business person. You don’t like to try something different, unless you’ve checked out the good and the bad sides to it. Outsourcing can have a little of both, so let’s talk about both sides of this kind of coin.
Beginning with…
The Pros
More Time For You – Those who have outsourced, find they can now spend more time with their families or to themselves. They have hobbies they do on a regular basis now that they never could do before.
Ability To Focus On Other Business Tasks – Some business owners needed to focus their efforts on marketing, sales or some other part of their business. The trouble is they could never find the time to accomplish this, because they were too busy with all their other projects. When they took the step and began to outsource, they found more time to focus right where they wanted and needed to most.
The Job Gets Done Right – Let’s face it. Even though we’re business owners, that doesn’t mean we know how to do everything. Some of us don’t have the skills or knowledge to create websites, to keep efficient records, write articles, etc. You can outsource the projects that you simply don’t know how to do and the job can get done right.
Saving Costs – By doing things yourself, you will need to have the necessary updated equipment for some of the tasks you do. By outsourcing some of those tasks you can cut some of your costs. The people you outsource to generally have their own updated equipment. So all you have to worry about is paying those assistants for their time.
Flexibility To Grow – By outsourcing, you have more time to plan a strategy to expand your business. If all goes well, you can almost double your income and afford to contract more work to those you outsource to.
The Cons
Time Consuming Search – It will take up a good chunk of time to find someone to hand over some of your projects to. So, it’s not something that will happen overnight, unless a fellow business owner recommends someone to you to check out. Even then, you’ll want to make certain you can work well with this person.
Costs Money – Obviously, you would have to pay any contractors for the time and effort they put into doing your project. So, you must be able to afford to outsource. Everyone has different rates, making it somewhat easy to find someone that would fit into your budget.
You Don’t Know Who You’re Outsourcing To – If you outsource using the web, chances are, you won’t know the person too well. They might have a website that gives you some information about them, but you don’t always know if they’re dependable, reliable and qualified to perform what you need them to do.
No Face To Face – When dealing with the Internet the main source of communication becomes email or instant messaging programs. These programs don’t give you the face to face contact that hiring someone to work in an office would. You don’t get to watch over them and make sure they’re doing their work the way you want them to.
You Get What You Pay For – In some cases, you do get what you pay for. Saving money is great, but sometimes it can bite you in the behind. Some people have paid for work that was not up to their standards. They sometimes even have to pay someone else to redo a project. In the end they spent more on that one task than they would have if they had gone with a qualified and higher priced person to begin with.
What Should You Outsource?
Each business is different, so the tasks you do to run it will also be different. Before you begin looking for someone to help take the load of your shoulders, make a list of what tasks you have to do for your business. Then, decide which ones you can hand over to someone else.
Some ideas of things to outsource are:
- Email Management
- Customer Service
- Website Design
- Writing
- Accounting
- Blogging
- Video Creation
- Audio Creation
- Site Promotion
These are just a few things that are easily outsourced to give you an idea of what you can turn over to someone else. Your business has a lot of tasks that you have to do regularly, so you can figure out where you need to spend most of your time and see if you can outsource part or all of these tasks.
Who Can I Outsource To And How Do
I Find Them?
You can find many people who specialize in performing some of your normal business tasks. In addition to them, there are also outsourcing companies that will find a specialist for you. Some of these companies specialize in areas such as customer service or sales.
Some of those specialists include:
Freelance Writers
Some writers will specialize in different types of writing. Those can include:
- Articles
- Reports
- EBooks
- Copywriting
Freelance writers can be found all over the internet. There are tons of websites you can check out to find them.
Web Designers
You can find people to create your websites for you. There are different types of sites that these designers can create. They can include:
- Sites Made From Scratch
- Sites Made Using Special Site Creation Software
- Sites Using Site Building Programs
Most can create a website that meets your specifications, depending on what those requirements are. If for some reason they aren’t able to, they should have enough knowledge in web designing to help you come up with a solution to get as close to what you want as possible.
Designers should also have websites available for you to check out, plus you may be able to find some examples in web designing communities.
Marketers
Marketers specialize in business promotion. They have training or experience in promoting your business with:
- Blogs
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
- List Building
- Article Directories
- And Much More
Virtual Assistants
A virtual assistant, also commonly known online as a VA, specializes in performing tasks similar to those executive secretaries would do. Each one has different services they provide, but some of those could include:
- Email Management
- Customer Service
- Transcription
- Writing
- Web Designing
- Bookkeeping
Many virtual assistants can perform more than one task too. So, if you need email management, web design and bookkeeping you can save money by contracting a virtual assistant to do a group of tasks for you instead of hiring 2-3 people to do them separately.
Besides their own websites, you can find them on virtual assistant forums.
There are many more areas that contractors specialize in, so do your research to find who can do the tasks you need done in an efficient and profitable manner for your business.
Other Options To Consider
One other option you can consider when looking for contractors is freelance bidding websites. This is where you can post your projects and people will bid a certain amount to perform the project for you.
If you choose to, you can also search through the tons of profiles freelancers have on these sites. That’s where they list their skills, experience and rates. You can contact the ones you want to talk to further through the site.
The most popular freelance bidding sites are:
Each bidding site is different, so be sure to read through how to use each one in order to find the one that most fits your needs.
Conclusion
Outsourcing can be a great asset to your company when used wisely. Sure there are disadvantages that could be costly to you, but you can learn how to make your experience a more successful one to steer clear of some of those headaches…
Before You Go…
This guide gives you the basics of outsourcing, but if you really want to work less and make more money to finally enjoy the freedom you’ve always dreamed of, then you need to grab your copy of:
The Essential Guide To Outsourcing Online
This jam-packed, detailed guide will show you how to grow your business beyond your wildest dreams without lifting a finger!
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