Hey friends! For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been going live on Instagram interviewing brilliant businesswomen about what their top business advice is. I first interviewed Kylee Ann Studios and Tory from Ixchel Triangle. Both of them said that outsourcing was their number one tip to business success. So, I thought it necessary and urgent to talk about outsourcing because nothing makes me happier than outsourcing parts of my business. In the beginning, outsourcing scared me because I wanted to be in control of my business and I wanted to be the best at everything. Well, it didn’t take me long to figure out that outsourcing was the only way that I could actually grow my business.
When I write this article, I need you to know exactly who this is for. These tips are for the momma who is trying to grow a business and raise a family or you working ladies who are trying to make this side hustle a reality. I’m in the trenches with you and I know how it feels to be completely overwhelmed with doing everything. There is hope and there is so much peace in letting people (and paying people) to help you. So here you go.
Benefits of outsourcing:
You can focus on the things that you are good at. I tried to be good at everything, but I just wasn’t. I am not good at keeping track of my money, so hiring an accountant to keep me on task was a must! There are people specifically trained to do those jobs you hate and they love it. Outsourcing the tasks that I’m not good at made it so that I could spend time on the things that I’m good at and that made me money.
You can let another rock star make you look like a rockstar. I hired a house cleaner. She comes twice a month and cleans my floors and my bathrooms. It was the best investment I have made for my business. But, when I first hired her, I felt guilty and a little nervous that I would be judged by others (dumb). When I met my house cleaner, she told me that she looooves cleaning, like loves it and she’s very good at it. Guess who doesn’t love cleaning? Me. She has since become a good friend and I’m so glad that I hired her because she is a house cleaning rock star and that makes me look like a rock star.
You can save time to do the things that actually make you money. There are a lot of things in your life that you are doing that are not making money doing. Hiring a housecleaner saves me 9-10 hours a month and costs me $150 a month. There are other things like email marketing, my podcast, blogging that will make me more than $15/hr to do. So, when I hire someone to do a job I don’t like doing, I can spend more time on the things that are actually bringing in the money.
You can help other people. There are moms or other women out there who are looking for work. You outsourcing your work to them gives them an opportunity to make money and contribute to their family. Once I realized this, it made outsourcing an easy yes. My whole business is built on helping women, so why wouldn’t I expand my circle and give business to other moms like me?
How to figure out what to outsource:
- Make a list of everything that you need to do for your business. Separate them into daily, weekly and monthly tasks.
- Star the tasks that you love to do.
- Circle the tasks that you hate to do.
- Underline the things that you have to do but would be easy to teach
- Circle the things that you are not proficient in but are important to your business
It is important to note that you might not be able to outsource everything that you want to at once, but it is important to know what you want to outsource eventually so that you can work towards it.
What are some examples of things that can be outsourced:
- accounting
- social media
- blogging
- email marketing
- website building
- photography
- business strategy
- editing (photography, videography)
- house cleaning
- cooking
Really this list could go on and on. There are people who would love to be paid to help you and they probably do it for less than you think and they are probably better at it than you.
Ways to pay for outsourcing
Hourly: Paying hourly has is a good option if you trust the person that you are working with to be efficient and effective with their time.
Project-based pay: This is the way I usually pay my people because then I don’t have to worry about keeping track of time and it also encourages efficiency and effectiveness. To figure out how much a job is worth, I will break it down and determine how much time a project would take me to do. For example, a blog post would take me 1-2 hours from start to finish. Then I would times it by the amount of money I’m willing and able to pay each hour. Depending on the type of work, you can spend between $15-$100/hour. The more involved and expertise required, the more money you can expect to pay.
Trade: This is how I started outsourcing. I didn’t have enough money to actually pay someone but I did have a lot of skills that I could trade. I first started outsourcing with my Instagram years ago. I traded my friend for posting for me on social media and I gave her a family photo shoot. If you have a skill, then you can outsource.
Retainer: You pay a monthly amount to have them do as much as you want them to do or as needed. I don’t usually do this one because I want to be able to control the number of projects I’m paying for.
How to find people to hire for outsourcing
Ask a friend: You probably know someone who is good at what you need help with or you know someone who knows someone. Put it out there on social media, ask your friends and family. Odds are they know someone who can help you.
Ask in your Facebook groups. If you are a part of a business Facebook group there are probably virtual assistants in there that will be able to help you.
Hire me. Yep, you heard right. I am now offering blogging, email, Pinterest and social media management. That means you could hire me to do your work for you and I would do it the right way. Imagine how it would feel to have your blog posts taken care of from start to finish and know that they are being optimized for Pinterest and Google. Ahhhh. That would feel so nice.
Click here to check out my rates.
Is outsourcing right for your business
Yes. If you really want your business to grow, you are going to have to really hone in on the things you are good at and then outsource the things that you aren’t. If you can get really clear on this, then you can spend your time on the tasks that make you the most money and that, my friend, is when your business really grows.
Have questions on outsourcing? Leave them below.
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