A few years ago, I found myself trapped on a hamster wheel of Word documents and Excel spreadsheets. The work was piling up, and it paid decently – if only I had 36 hours in a day to get it all done. The problem was that I’m only human, so at a certain point each day, I had to call it quits, even though I had never reached the end of the To-Do list.
I started putting in nights and weekends, just to make decent headway, but I began to feel as if I was drowning in reports. It was a constant, never-ending work cycle.
The frustrating part was that I knew there was a significant percentage of each project that could be easily outsourced to someone with minimal training. I didn’t need to be involved from A to Z. If only there was someone else who could fill in the nitty-gritty, and then pass on the project to me for the parts that required my specific training and expertise.
I began to look into the idea. Through a significant amount of trial and error, I figured out a system in which I was able to easily outsource a substantial portion of each of my projects, affordably. In the process, I increased my yearly revenue by tens of thousands of dollars.
Currently, my output is larger than it ever has been, my revenue has skyrocketed, and I’m doing none of the tedious work that used to drain me, and only the skilled work that I enjoy.
Great question! These issues come up a lot when outsourcing. Without knowing more specifics, here are a few general tips. 1. Hire direct if possible- When going through an agency or a third party company, details can get lost and the person doing the work will likely not be as dedicated as someone you hire directly (has been my experience multiple times). Even if it's a short term project, there are many people looking for part-time or short term work. 2. Screen share videos- These are gold! The more you can document the process the better what you receive back will be and then you will have it for the next person! 3. Make sure you have some basic quiz in place as part of your hiring process to know the level of English the person your dealing with has, as well as any other required skills. 4. The time difference issue can generally be worked around, in the countries where the vast majority of outsourcing happens, people are more than happy to work the clients hours. I have this as a requirement for new employees and have never had anyone refuse an offer because of it.
Hope that helps, I'd love to chat to discuss further. Best of luck!
Small Business Business Strategy Outsourcing Small Business Consulting Employee Hiring