You may not have employees when you first start your business, but that doesn’t mean you have to work alone. Any business, no matter how small is made up of many moving parts, try as you might, you can’t be every cog in the machine. Still, in the early days of business, taking on employees is not always an option. You might not even want it to be! So, how do you make your business run smoothly without a full-time team behind you? Outsourcing might just be the answer! Here are a few tips for entrepreneurs looking to outsource some aspects of business…
Tips For Entrepreneurs
Talking Virtual Assistants
For many entrepreneurs, the answer to freeing up some time and delegating a few aspects of the business can be done by outsourcing to virtual assistants. These are the individuals who make it possible for you to handle admin, improve your product or service, and even advertise to your target audience. Most small business owners will rely on manufacturing suppliers or direct mail suppliers like WDM. Who all play a crucial part in the success of the business. A virtual assistant can be living and working remotely from your business, they can deal with various aspects of the business and mean you are free to dedicate your time to the aspects of the business you excel at and enjoy most!
Nuture Happy Relationships
Given that virtual assistants are not sat with you, you may be wondering how you can develop decent working relationships with these individuals. Obviously, basics apply like paying your accountant on time, but, how else can nurture happy relationships?
Offer Opportunity For Growth
Offering opportunities for growth is perhaps the best thing you can do. That way, your team are more likely to take pride in their work. A floundering entrepreneur with no real business projection simply isn’t an appealing option for any virtual assistant, after all. If this is you, you may soon find that virtual assistants and talented freelancers are either reluctant to work with you or leave your work at the bottom of the pile. Make sure it doesn’t happen by proving yourself a business worth connecting with. Continually work towards, and demonstrate business growth by communicating your weekly goals with your virtual team. You’ll soon feel the glow of good relationships.
Understand Your Needs
Understand the needs of your business. You also need to understand your own strengths and weaknesses. Say for example, you suck at maths, you will certainly want to outsource your accounting to a professional accountant. You must understand your needs well before requesting anything from an outside source. That means knowing your audience and the services or products you want to provide. It could mean knowing manufacturing needs or your marketing requirements. Either way; be 100% certain before you reach out for help. While some changes are inevitable down the line, you want to be outsourcing aspects of your business to the right people for the job.
Be Clear And Concise
Lastly, you must provide clear instructions. Much like changing your mind constantly, wishy-washy instructions are unprofessional and plain irritating. Instead, don’t be afraid to get demanding. The more precise you can be about your needs, the better your chances of building lasting relationships. This is an individual that’s working solely to your brief, after all. They’re on hand to do the hard work for you, but you still need to put yourself at the helm.
Taking time to organise your plan to allow for outsourcing can be a real game changer for your business. Hiring virtual assistants and freelancers can free up your time and propel you forwards!
‘The objective is to control your time – a non-renewable resource – and apply it where you have the highest leverage or enjoyment‘
– Tim Ferris
The Fabulous Times
