As an entrepreneur and small business owner, you have to play a large number of roles and responsibilities. For most start-ups, there isn’t enough financial capital to hire all the people that a large company normally has.
A start-up however can even the playing field by outsourcing key tasks. This gives you the ability to focus on the important tasks that only you can accomplish. This also lets you leverage the expertise of others without the large overhead. Here are tips to make SMART outsourcing work for you!
How Is Your Business Looking In “The Big Picture?”
Big picture thinking is crucial to ensure that your business is preparing for the future while also being able to emjoy the fruits of your business’ successes today. Given that you can’t do everything well at all times, look at the tasks that you can outsource that will give you the biggest bang for your buck.
The most commonly outsourced tasks are accounting, bookkeeping, website design, social media marketing, and many other tasks. Even if it is a task that you can perform well, look at the big picture and determine if it is the best use of your time. This can help you decide what you need to focus on and the skills essential to your business.
This will help you grow your business in the most efficient way. SMART outsourcing can help prepare your business to upscale without breaking the bank and monopolizing every hour you have available.
Look At Your Current Staff
If you have a partner or a current team helping you, make sure you get their input. The goal is to optimize and leverage each other’s performance. Outsourcing the wrong task to a good firm can set you back. Some may feel as though you are trying to replace them. They key is to communicate the bigger picture to them so they see they are not being replaced, but replicated to grow the company.
To ensure that there is a sufficient transition with outsourcing external aspects, you need to make sure that it is done gradually. Changing too much in a very short time can cause confusion. Delegate some of the outsourcing tasks such as managed IT services to your team. This will help them take ownership and be aligned with your goals and vision.
Does It Help In The Long Run?
When communicating your vision of the company, outsource only what is consistent with your vision. When looking at it from a long-term perspective, ask yourself if outsourcing a particular task can truly benefit a company? You want to outsource tasks to bridge the gaps between where you are not and where you want to go.
You can implement additional training and focusing on bridging the gaps, either by using the contractors you’ve already brought on or hiring people that can work for the business full-time. As your business grows and matures, you too will need to mature as a leader. Then you can reassess if it is beneficial to keep outsourcing or bring the tasks within the company with a full-time worker.
The goal is to maintain the success of the company while minimizing costs. As a leader you have the flexibility to outsource tasks temporarily, permanently, or on demand as the market changes. Make sure you oursource in a SMART way to maximize your current skills and know what skills you need to bridge the gap from the present to the future!