Why outsource?by Kiely Buttell

A question I’m asked all the time by small business owners is this: Why should I outsource? Let’s start from the beginning though, shall we? First of all, what even is outsourcing?

In short, outsourcing is hiring someone to do the tasks you don’t want to do, can’t do, or have little time to do yourself. It means you can delegate your workload by paying someone outside of your small business to do the work for you.

Sounds great, doesn’t it? The truth is, though, lots of business owners could delegate a lot more and make their lives a whole lot easier.

How come you aren’t doing it already?

It could be that you’re in the habit of figuring out everything for yourself...

Or perhaps you’re trying to save money by doing everything on your own time rather than paying someone else...

Or maybe you don’t know what tasks you could get done for you.

Sound familiar? You can do better though!

That’s why I’ve put together this guide to share with you my top ten key reasons to outsource. Once you start, you’ll never look back!

Why outsource?

#1 FreedomBy far the most important reason to enlist the help of an assistant (or what we sometimes call an ‘outsource provider’) is freedom.

We are all so busy nowadays. We work 12-, 13- or 14-hour days. That’s become a bit of a norm, but it doesn’t have to be that way. (Honest!)

When you choose to delegate some of your to-do list, it clears the way for you to feel free again.

And what can you do with your new-found freedom?

Well, you can get back to doing the work where you have real expertise. You know, the kind of thing you went into business for in the first place.

You could even stop working those long 12-hour days and take a break. After all, I’m sure you deserve one!

#2 Do moreOkay, so we know you’re a pro, but there must be certain jobs that take you hours and hours.

You know the ones...

They’re the ones you dread doing, the ones that you put off, the ones that take you away from the real business you want to be doing.

#3 Save moneyHang on a minute. How does spending money on outsourcing help you save money? That can’t be right, can it?

Yes, it’s true!

Here’s a simple example of how it works.

Let’s say your hourly rate is $100.

And let’s say that, on a good week, you spend four hours trying to work out how to send your newsletter. (I know it can be more. Hands up who’s taken longer than this before! But for now, let’s stick with four hours.)

When you sit down to write that email newsletter and send it out, your time is worth $400. That’s $400 you could be billing clients for, if you weren’t writing and sending your email own marketing campaign!

Did you know that you can outsource that very task (both the design and content creation) for between $75-125 per newsletter?

When you outsource those jobs, it’s highly likely that an assistant can do them in a fraction of the time. When we take a job off your hands, it gives you more time to do the work that you’re good at and focus on what brings in the money. (And that’s never the administration and book-keeping, is it? Let’s be honest!)

See how cost effective that is? You’d save $275-$325 per newsletter! Not only that, the result could be even better because of the outsource provider’s expertise.

So it’s really handy to work out the time it is taking you to do non-essential tasks. In fact, why not jot some ideas down?

#4 Save timeAs already mentioned under reason #2, key to understanding why you’d outsource is that an assistant may well be able to complete the task you set them in less time than you can. This reduces the time taken to get something done and you will have your work back sooner.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you take a look at your day-to-day tasks:

Time takenIf you suspect that you’re not that fast at a certain task, it may pay to ask an outsource provider to estimate how long they would take to do it for you.

• How long is this task taking me to do once?• How often do I repeat this task?• Am I efficient at this task?• Do I dread/procrastinate/avoid this task?

A good way to tell whether you’re spending too much time on something is to log how much time you’re spending ‘in your office’ without doing work for which you are able to invoice. Chances are you are better off outsourcing the work you are doing in that time, especially if it exceeds five hours or so.

RepetitionOkay, so some tasks might not actually take you that long...yet!

If you can do something in five minutes, it may not be the kind of job you would outsource right now. However, it may be a recurring task. A task that takes five minutes but is repeated over and over again can soon turn into an hour, two hours, three hours.

At that point, consider outsourcing it.

EfficiencySome tasks just feel heavy and arduous. Maybe you don’t like living in spreadsheets, or perhaps the thought of proofreading something you’ve written sounds dull, dull, dull. Possibly you find typing tough or can’t face reconciling your expenses and keeping the books in order.

You can normally tell which tasks you’re inefficient at, because you dread doing them. Write a list of tasks you really need to do and cross off the ones that make you money. All the remaining tasks are things to consider outsourcing!

AvoidanceSometimes we’ll avoid doing something for so long that it becomes a mammoth task which we find impossible to tackle. Again, these tasks are a good place to start when you’re considering moving some things off your plate.

#5 Access to skillsAn often overlooked reason to outsource is that many outsource providers are highly skilled in what they do and have specific areas of expertise where they focus their skill base. You can access that for minimum outlay.

It’s also a cost-effective way of accessing skills without having to employ someone. Everyone wins!

Even better, these days, many outsource providers won’t tie you into retainer-type deals where you have to use a minimum of hours monthly. This means a lot lower risk to you, the client.

#6 EnjoymentHands up if you went into business because you enjoy what you do. I know I did!

Soon we find that being in business doesn’t just mean doing the core work that you enjoy.

If you’re not enjoying a particular task, consider outsourcing it.

As we’ve already said, this will free up your time to work on growing your business, but crucially working on those parts that you particularly love.

I’ve found that most virtual assistants love what they do. Leave the projects you don’t like to the people who actually enjoy them, while you devote yourself to your passion.

#7 Time to strategiseThis one is always a goodie and you may have heard it before:

Find time every week to look at the bigger picture. Consider where you want to go. Revisit your goals and aspirations. Look at how close you are to making these a reality.

If your regular strategising time is spent bogged down with unnecessary admin that could be outsourced, you would be well advised to consider these questions.

• What are my goals?• How close am I to achieving them?• Do I want to grow my business?

“Free up your time to work on your business; not in your business.”

#7 Time to strategise

• Do I want to spend time on it?• How could outsourcing free up some of my time?

#8 BalanceWhat if you could regain some time just for you? What if you had the chance to achieve better work-life balance?

What if you didn’t have to work 60 hours again a week and could spend that time with your family instead? What if you didn’t have to feel guilty going for a coffee and a chat with a friend?

These days it’s almost the norm for us to work long hours. If we’re ‘only’ working a 40-hour week, we feel lazy somehow. How crazy is that? We need to change that attitude! We should all have time to do the things we love and not be stuck in the office.

Let’s reclaim work-life balance for good.

#9 Time to trainOne of my favourite reasons to outsource is that it frees up some time to hone your skills. As business owners, we have to embrace life-long learning. To stay current and relevant, we need to spend time building skills we need in our businesses.

I know this is the case in my own business and I’m sure it’s the same for you.

• Do you need to brush up on the most recent practices in your industry?

• Have you got a hankering for learning the latest piece of software or social media site that everyone’s talking about?

• When was the last time you went on a training course?• Where could you do more research to stay ahead of

your competitors?

Upskilling is key to keeping and creating a successful business. Outsource some stuff and make the time you save count.

#10 Growth with low riskLast but not least, you can afford to grow your business with very low risk. Most virtual assistants work on a project-by-project basis. There’s no obligation to spend more money on securing more time. If you only need an hour, that’s fine. If you need five hours, that’s fine too!

Like many small business owners, I’m sure you want to be particular about who is looking after your business for you. It’s important that is feels right and that you can trust your outsource provider. That’s why I don’t tie you into a minimum number of hours per month.

It’s all about having the flexibility to outsource according to your needs. It’s your business and you know it best.

#10 Growth with low risk

Is outsourcing right for me?At the beginning, I mentioned that sometimes we don’t manage to outsource work because we simply don’t know what an assistant can do for us. Even when we’re convinced we need to outsource, it can be tricky to figure out how.

It’s sometimes hard to identify what to hand over to someone else. That’s why I’ve put together this handy list to help you figure out what you could outsource easily.

Here at Flourish we help clients by providing administration/office and marketing support. We also consult on ways to increase staff productivity along with systems and process checks.

Admin

• Training on XeroAs a Xero Certified Advisor I have expertise to not only support you on Xero, but to train you too.

• Creating documentsWe can make up templates, do typing from handwritten notes, change Word docs into PDF and vice versa, convert various document formats, and create Excel spreadsheets for all manner of uses.

• Setting up systemsWe are a huge fan of systems and really enjoy helping clients to implement processes in their business. If you’re handling anything more than twice, there’s a system or process that we can set up to make things easier for you on a daily basis. Diving in and analysing how your office is working is my forte! That’s where you’ll find the real savings in time and money.

• Database managementIf you have your client details stored in a variety of different databases, we can work to combine all those sources of information into one easy-to-read file. That could be an online cloud-type system or just a simple Excel spreadsheet - whatever works for you.

Marketing

• Marketing supportWe have developed and implemented a number of successful marketing campaigns, many on a shoe-string budget, so we understand the constraints of small businesses and not-for-profits. Marketing on a shoe-string is a great way to think outside the box. Our results-driven focus will see you get the returns you need.

• MailChimp email marketing campaignsMailChimp is an excellent software solution to send out your marketing campaigns. We provide full design, content creation and list management for MailChimp, from basic idea right through to the finished campaign.

• Event managementWe can coordinate campaigns and events. With our event management experience working for a variety of organisations, we can turn your idea into a reality.

• Copywriting and content creationOur fantastic copywriter can help you create content from scratch or research content for you. Predominantly, we work on content for websites, whenever you need it.

• ProofreadingLikewise, we have an excellent proofreader on the team who will shape up your documents, magazines, newsletters and anything that requires that extra polish.

Productivity

• TrainingWe have a step-by-step programme that will help you or your team become productivity superstars. This includes:

For more information give us a call 0800 122 889, email kiely@flourished.co.nz or visit www.flourished.co.nz

• Goal setting• Importance of planning• Identifying important and non-important tasks• To-do lists that motivate, and• How to use time to your advantage.