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Beginner’s Guide to Small Business Outsourcing – Part 1


LD Staff Writer

Outsourcing can be intimidating, and there are quite a few pitfalls along the way (especially for beginners). Some people try hiring freelancers a few times, have a horrible experience, and unfortunately, go back to doing everything themselves.

Because we’re in the business of taking on outsourced work, we’ve put together a three-part series that will help you avoid many of the common mistakes, lay out a strategy that will give you the greatest chance of success, and help you get the most value out of outsourcing.

Part 1: Deciding What to Outsource

Deciding what to outsource will determine the value you get out of it. All the leverage resides right here, before anything is even delegated. Many people forget to make a plan, and find that even though they are outsourcing quite a few projects, they aren’t getting the value they expected. They are just as busy and stressed as ever, and their business isn’t moving forward any faster.

Investing a little thought and time into picking the right projects/tasks to outsource ensures that you get the most out of your investment. Here’s a general idea of an effective outsourcing plan:

Step 1: List ALL tasks and projects within your business

Don’t just list the projects you think are good candidates for outsourcing. Don’t just list things you don’t feel like doing yourself. Dump everything your business does into a list. Here are some prompts to help you get everything down on paper:

  • Recurring tasks
  • One-off tasks
  • Tasks required for new customers
  • Marketing tasks
  • Administrative tasks
  • Bookkeeping tasks
  • Advertising tasks
  • Neglected tasks
  • Procrastinated tasks
  • Favorite tasks
  • Tasks you hate doing
  • Time consuming tasks
  • Fun tasks
  • Tasks you’ve planned but haven’t executed
  • Large tasks
  • Small tasks
  • Things you should do but don’t

Step 2: Can it be outsourced?

Go through your list and cross off tasks that cannot be outsourced. Be careful that you aren’t crossing off tasks you feel a bit hesitant about. There are typically very few activities that need to be done by the business owner.

Step 3: Determine your value criteria

What is valuable to you right now? What matters most? Do you need more time? More money? Do you need to feel less stress? Do you need to move your business forward?

Pick your top two or three most important value criteria, and rate each item on your list of projects on a scale of 1 to 10.

For instance:

Find new advertising opportunities
Time savings: 7
Make money: 9
Average: 8

The average of those ratings should give you a good idea of which items you should begin outsourcing right away – and where you’ll get the most value.

In Part 2 of this “Beginner’s Guide to Outsourcing,” we’ll at how to pick the best outsourcing provider, and the prep work necessary to making sure things go smoothly.

Want to learn more?

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