Outsourcing

Outsourcing is a great way to free up your time and focus on what you are best at. No question.

Outsourcing is getting help from someone who is not part of your team but has the Skillset needed to complete a task.

Remember what I have said before, “Work on your business, not in your business”.

Outsourcing is a major step in achieving this in an economical way.

3 points to consider

There are many benefits to outsourcing, but most startups need to weigh up these 3 points:

do the task yourself.
employ local staff to do the task.
outsourcing the task.

Employing in-house staff takes as much training as engaging an outsourced virtual assistant. Keep this in mind

When starting your business, retention of capital is important. Doing the task yourself is the most cost-effective. But keep on top of this. Remember the old saying, “penny wise, pound foolish”.

Always be evaluating the actions according to your record keeping (you are keeping records aren’t you?). The advantage of doing it yourself in the early stage of starting your business is the fact you know exactly how to effectively execute the task, step by step. Make sure you document every step in your action guide. This will be the training manual of the future. Never underestimate this important step.

When the time comes to employ staff, you can train them in the processes you have mastered according to the action guide.

The question about outsourcing or employing staff comes down to economics according to your plan of action and business goals.

If you have been keeping records, you know where your time is best spent. This is where to start your decision-making.

A point on outsourcing.

We outsource many things without realizing. For example:

Do you wash your car, or take it to the carwash?

Do you mow your lawn, or get a mowing service?

Do you do your house cleaning or do you have a cleaning service?

Do you do your own shopping, or do you get a food delivery service?

Do you drive yourself to the ball game or sporting event or do you get an Uber or a cab?

And on and on, the outsourcing services are there to give you more time to do what makes your life more comfortable and give you more family time. So the fact is we outsource without realizing it.

When it comes to your business, you need to get serious about what is the most valuable task to do to make your business grow and be profitable. You need to get serious about where is your best time spent.

Outsourcing is a way of getting work done outside of your business. Outsourcing has been around for decades and it is a service used by good successful businesses.

A VA can be a game changer to your business. It is a great starting point for greater productivity and reducing overheads.

The increasing use of virtual assistants is one trend where outsourcing will play a significant role. More and more, enterprises are using business virtual assistants to automate certain processes.

Although outsourcing is a way to lower costs and gain efficiencies, it is increasingly becoming a strategic tool for profitable companies.

Outsourcing offers both cost-efficiency and increased workload flexibility.

When starting your business, maybe a good starting point is to hire a Virtual Assistant. Having a VA is probably the easiest to onboard and create a culture within the business. As you grow and tasks become routine, then hiring a VA to take over is a good move. You may have to have a good deal of VAs before you get the right one. How will you know you have the right one? They will never let you ask the question. Treat them as part of the business. This is a valuable business asset.

Outsource a VA?

The Philippines is one of the top places that businesses turn to hire a VA. Most of the population there is well-educated, digitally savvy, and speaks very good English. The country is well known for its work ethic and politeness.

The differences in the cost of living will reduce your expenses whilst still remunerating your VA well. VA positions are attractive for Filipinos and there are several websites that help you connect.

It can be done with the help of one person or by hiring a number for different tasks. Start with a VA. Test the water.

There are many services to aid your business as it grows. Think of:

Accounting

Bookkeeping

Web design

Media release

Copywriting

Advertising

Inventory stock taking

Mailroom

Whatever your business needs and doesn't need you to do, you can outsource it.

Outsourcing has been around for decades and is widely used by businesses in today’s global economies.

I started with outsourcing locally on a contract basis, then moved to outsource globally. It just made sense.

When I started my business there was no such thing as a VA or if there was I had never heard of it. Nor had I heard of outsourcing. As time went by I became aware of these services. To the point where I needed the services of a paraplanner. Now I could have employed a person to do it house, but I went through the process of researching what was available and doing a cost comparison. The result was it was more economical by far to engage an outsourcing service to supply my needs. Not just in the cost of service but my time. Do not underestimate this component.

There are many options to appoint a VA or any other service you need. The normal goto sites are Fiverr and Upwork both offer good services. If I was in the market today to need the services of outsourcing I would probably choose Upwork. They are generally a little more expensive but in my opinion, they offer better-qualified personnel.

Summary

Think beyond the horizon.

Get a VA or any other staff position as soon as possible and test the operation.

Training is the key. Make sure in the early stage that you give them extensive training. Establish a rapport and educate them on the job description, function, culture of your business and your expectations

Make communications a priority and always be in contact.

Time zones can be an issue, but the inconvenience is worthwhile.