As a small business owner, it may sometimes seem that the weight of your entire business rests on your shoulders. When you’re feeling burdened, it may be time to consider outsourcing tasks to team members or freelance experts.
While you can find someone to do just about anything you need, not all tasks should be outsourced. So how can you decide when it’s appropriate to do the work yourself versus enlisting help from others?
Here are a few handy tips:
When You Should Do It Yourself
Ask yourself these questions to identify a DIY task.
1. Do I enjoy and excel at this? Having the skill set to get a job done right is always a plus, especially if other team members are less experienced and/or you don’t have time to search for a qualified freelancer. And enjoying the work only enhances the positive results you’ll see based on a robust skill set.
2. Can I complete this quickly? Can you complete a task in the time it’d take to delegate it to someone else? If so, you’d waste less time and resources by simply taking care of it yourself. Unless, of course, it’s a recurring task that, over time, adds up and robs you of much precious time.
3. Will it have a positive impact on my bottom line? Sales calls, consultations, client meetings, and similar tasks often have a direct impact on your revenue. If you have no dedicated team to handle these things, you may want to tackle them yourself.
4. Do I have the budget to outsource? If your team members have a full plate and you intend to delegate to them, can you afford to pay overtime? On the other hand, can you find a qualified but cost-effective freelancer? If your budget won’t yet allow for either, the responsibility falls to you.
When To Delegate and Outsource
It’s smart to delegate and outsource when:
1. You truly hate a certain task. When doing something you hate, the quality of your work tends to drop. Low quality and low productivity will only hurt your business in the long run so it’s better to give such tasks to people who actually love doing the work.
2. You don’t have the time needed to do a good job. With so many other things to do, it’s understandable that sometimes you’re short on time. When this happens, it’s best to pass work to a team member or freelancer who can take their time and do it right.
3. There’s no direct impact on revenue. You can probably think of a few tasks off the top of your head that add little direct value to your business. Take these tasks off of your plate so that you can focus on revenue-generating activities.
4. You can pay a freelancer your rate or less. Can you comfortably and/or consistently pay a freelancer what you make hourly? If so, it might be time to start the hunt for freelance assistants.
Where to Find Freelance Help
You can find freelancers on sites like Upwork, Freelancer, and Toptal with expertise in all sort of industries. Having such experts on standby can really boost your productivity and benefit your small business.
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