(even if you think you don't have the budget)
Do you want your small business to grow so that you finally have the freedom to live the the life you want? Do you constantly get pulled into tasks that honestly bring you no joy? Is that why you started your small business?
Let’s be honest. Constantly doing all of the tasks that bring us no joy leaves us feeling overwhelmed and overworked with a never-ending to do list. We never get to the things that really make us light up inside.
I totally get it. As a small business owner, myself, there are parts of my business that I hate. I would rather listen to nails on a chalkboard than look at all the numbers on a spreadsheet or do my taxes. (I love my CPA!) When I first started my business, I felt like I had to do it all. I thought that doing it myself really meant that I was a small business owner. I discovered that I could outsource the projects and tasks that I just do not enjoy. First, I’ll work through some hesitations to outsourcing, then I’ll explain my outsourcing process.
Quality
You may ask, “If I outsource this, won’t the quality go down?” If you outsource to someone to do a job and the quality does not meet your expectations, fire them. Don’t renew your service. What you are more likely to see is that the exact opposite will happen. Because they focus on one thing, they do that one thing really well. You will see the quality increase. The best part is that you will not only see the quality increase in that one outsourced area, but you will see it in other areas of your business as you are able to focus more on those other areas.
Budget
Maybe you are thinking, “I don’t have the budget to outsource this.” Initially, maybe no. Your time is so valuable as a small business owner. If you could outsource one area that costs you $500 a month and in exchange you could grow another area that reaps dividends of $1000 a month, would it be worth it? If you only broke even and saw that your $500 investment returned $500 BUT you were able to take an afternoon off or just work on other areas of your business that brought you joy, would it be worth it?
Let me be clear:
Outsourcing is not a sign of failure or that you are incapable. Outsourcing provides jobs and promotes growth. Outsourcing allows room for growth in your business.
There will be a point where, as your company grows, you struggle with managing the day-to-day operations of your business if you try to do it all on your own. Your to do list will outpace the number of minutes in the day.
Outsourcing process
Evaluate
First, evaluate your business activities, processes, tasks, and workflows. Think about the behind the scenes activities. Think about your customer journeys from first interaction to buying your product through post purchase. What tasks and activities occur online and in person?
Filter
Now, ask the question: “What things must I do versus what can someone else do?” Must you actually do that process? In terms of taxes, I realized that no, I do not actually have to input all the numbers and submit that lovely little form to the IRS. I can let someone who loves numbers do it. I can outsource to a person who enjoys managing social media to schedule my social media posts. This is where it gets very unique to your industry and to your unique business.
For me, people hire ME to photograph them.
For an artist, they hire THEM to design a mural for a commercial space.
For a small boutique, we hire YOU to curate or design the adorable outfits into one space for shopping.
What is it that you must do versus what others can do?
Now take this idea a step farther. Do this process for your employees. Do you have employees do product photography for your website, but they don’t really enjoy it or even excel at it? Do you have employees curate a season of clothing, because you are too spread thin to do it? Where can each one of your employees really add more value in their roles?
Challenge
I want to challenge you to evaluate and filter your business. What things must YOU do versus what can you train your employees to do? What things should you outsource to someone that specializes in that area?