How to start outsourcing in your business
A guide on what to think about and consider when thinking of outsourcing and some best practises to make the journey smoother
Ok this is a big one. I got asked this in the DM's by a friend so here is my 2 cents and some things to ask yourself.
I have been trying to outsource for the last 2 years and I have got it wrong many many times….
✅ Pre paying a website developer who then delivered a piece of shit and kept my money
✅ Paying freelance designers who I was not sure about a day rate upfront and them delivering terrible work
✅ Dropping £3k on OBMs whose packages didn't work and was essentially a TOTAL waste of money.
This WILL happen to you. At the beginning of your outsourcing process you will probably loose money. And why?
✅ Cause finding good people is hard
✅ You wont know exactly what you need until you try it out
✅ Good people come and then they go
This is the same for any business. Where you are solo or a CEO of one of the the largest companies in the world. Hiring is hard - whoever you are.
BUT do not fear - with some pre planning, patience and smart tactics (some of which I have learn't myself) outsourcing can be the biggest game changer in your business. Like it has been for me.
I now have 1 full time employee and two website developers that I work with on rotation. My process of working with them is polished (most of the time!) and its giving me more time, space, freedom AND money.
The number one thing that you want to focus on with out sourcing is where is YOUR time best placed - both for your day to day peace, business growth and filling the holes where your skill set falls short.
✅ STEP 1 - Plan what you need to outsource
01 - Start by writing down every task that you do in your biz - Split it into the below:
General day to day admin
Marketing
Finance
Client management (on and off boarding)
Client work
02 - Then mark which of these things HAVE to be done by you. A non negotiable has to come from the founder.
03 - Then from the list that is left that could be done by someone else mark A - The tasks you hate to do and B - The tasks that you find hard/are not in your skill set.
Equally look at the tasks that you dont mind to do that could be done by someone else but you could keep in house.
04 - Then free journal on the reasons why you need this…
What are the practical reasons, what would it help you focus more time on doing? How would it benefit your business? Then focus on how it would make you feel, where could you be more creative? What freedom would it give you?
05 - Then write down your top 3 business goals for the next year.
Look at your business goals, the reason you want to outsource and then within which columns of your tasks there are the most amount that you either dont want to do OR dont have the skill set.
Where now makes most sense to place your budget based on what you want to achieve and where the holes are?
This SHOULD give you a bit more of a clear view of which direction to go in and what skill set you need.
Whether its a VA, marketeer, social media manger or an assistant to help you with the more admin tasks of client work that you can teach and then step away from.
✅ STEP 2 - Where to look for talent and things to consider
01 - DO NOT just book someone based off their instagram. Instagram and good marketing/design can mask someone who is actually just not good at their job.
02 - Ask around. Referral is always the best route. If its working for someone else then it could work for you.
03 - Put the job on linked in. Generally the level of talent on linked in I would say are more professional freelancers who are not interested in building their own small business but are just looking for work.
04 - Do not go for the cheapest options. Also dont go for something that is way out of your budget
05 - ALWAYS trial. Before booking anyone have a set of tasks that are examples of what you would outsource. Offer them a half day rate to complete the tasks to test their work
06 - Interview multiple people and set the same tasks. This way you can directly compare the results and choose the right person
07 - ALWAYS put a contract in place. No matter if its one day or one year. Protect yourself
08 - Do not ever pay 100% up front. This will only bite you in the arse.
There is SO SO much I could say about this topic but i'm going to leave it here…
I hope that this can help you to figure out what may be beneficial and avoid getting stung like I have in the past