Learn the advantages of outsourcing and how this concept has saved me a lot of time and money to allow me to get things done in my trade business, quickly and efficiently.
Over the years, I have spoken to a lot of other trade business owners, and they have no idea about what outsourcing is. If you do not know and do not use outsourcing in your business, you are really missing out.
Outsourcing is essentially using the internet to to hire or use other professionals, to help you with different processes or systems with in your business. Sometimes, these professionals are from and in different parts of the world. So what is one major benefit of outsourcing?
Tasks Are Done Efficiently and Quickly
Outsourcing has really helped my business over the years. In business, it is the process of delegating out tasks within your business to somebody that is a professional and experienced in that field.
For example, if you need help in the area of bookkeeping, administration, data entry or graphic entry, you can find someone else more experienced from another part of the world.
Using the internet, you can bridge that gap and connect with them to get the tasks done efficiently and quickly. A lot of the time, this technique frees the business owner up to work on other things that they need to work on, other than mundane tasks. And, like anything in this day and age that is worth doing, it is not as easy as it sounds. You will need to have certain steps in place to make outsourcing effective and easy. A lot of people who have tried and failed can have different reasons to blame for their failures.
An Important Factor to Consider in Outsourcing
So, the most important thing to consider is, it is like hiring a person, so set your expectations right from the get-go. Let that person know what you want to do, how they are going to help you, and most importantly, why they are doing it. This gives the person a great understanding of the task at hand and the impression that they can make on your business.
Ensure that you have a great system or process set up for that candidate to follow. Make sure that they have clear guidelines, and they can work efficiently and effectively at the same time. Another thing to consider is that although these people might be in another part of the world, with a decreased wage, they are still human.
Treat them like one, and respect them, look after them, give them gifts, or send them bonuses. This is all to a great effect as this will ensure that they work with you and look after your business for a long time to come like it were theirs.
Some Challenges I’ve Encountered
There are some challenges that I have had when trying to start and pave my way with outsourcing. The first challenge is setting a clear expectation with a new employee of what is expected on a daily basis.
The second is training. It is very difficult to tell a person over the internet exactly how to do a complex procedure in your business, and especially if you do not have systems or processes set up in your business with a clear guideline on what to do.
The third thing is, like any other small business owner, I get busy. Business causes me to lack in giving them tasks, giving proper directions, and keeping on top of them. At the end of it all, you need to treat them like an in-house employee, not letting them get too distant. Keep on top of them and keep things controlled.
How I Overcame the Challenges
Overcoming most of these challenges was relatively easy once I broke it down, and it all boils down to systems and processes. I know I discuss this a lot, but it is crucial when you are outsourcing any task to a new employee, you need to get the full gist at the initial stages.
You need to understand the problems with that process, understand the complications, the variations of what could happen on a daily basis, and then set steps or processes that can refine that task by giving it the desired effect each and every time.
You are looking for the same result, so if there is a reason why that employee is not going to get the same result, you need to create a system and process to refine that and make it easier for them to do their job.
Recruit Appropriately Regardless of Cost
The thing with outsourcing is that it can really cut down on the time and stress that comes with running your business single-handedly. Although there is the initial investment of trying to employ the person and get them up to speed, the end deal is always completely worth it. And, the last thing to consider is the cheapest is not always the best. Just like any good trade, you get what you pay for. Make sure that you recruit that person and find the most appropriate person for the job, regardless of the cost.
Be Aware of Cultural Differences
There are a few other things that you need to consider when using outsources, especially people from different cultures around the world. Different people and their cultures have different ways of living. They all have different expectations, so before you hire somebody from a foreign country, understand what is very important to them.
Know Where to Look
There are different websites that you can use for outsourcing. Personally, I prefer Upwork. I use the freelancing platform on a weekly or daily basis. There are other ones like Fiverr, Freelancer, just to name a couple of them. Each website varies in terms and conditions, and have their own strengths and weaknesses.
It is best for you to look around, do some research into outsourcing, and how to get a person on your team quickly and efficiently. Practice first, and hire a virtual assistant for a test run. If you have ever been curious about outsourcing or even using virtual assistants, the first place to start is documenting your time. Understand the areas that take up a lot of your time, and then use systems and processes to break that down and make it easy to delegate certain tasks that you do on a regular basis.
There are a lot of materials available on different websites that you can use to help with your first onboarding experience, or you can feel free to reach out to me for my own advice. Thank you for reading, if you have any questions, or need some help and guidance, do not hesitate to reach out to me.
