The Art Of Outsourcing! How To Replace Yourself!

In this day and age; it takes strength and flexibility to
run a business! What is outsourcing and why you should do it?

Running a small business is definitely not the same thing as it used to be; not even in the recent past! Nowadays, even a very basic “garage created enterprise (or coffee shop, living room-etc.)” can have instant access to a wide range of professional grade tools. These tools come in a wide variety of types, shapes and sizes; thanks to the flexibility and versatility of the web and all other technologies that go hand in hand to bring us the wonders of THE INTERNET.

From Press Releases, Promotional efforts to branding, Customer Service (think phone support) to Drop Ship Mail, Supply Chain Fulfillment, OEM, and even internal production; many companies and entrepreneurs of all sizes are turning to external outsourcing to increase their productivity and to maximize their effort.

So; What Exactly is “OUTSOURCING?” It is a question of “CORE COMPETENCY”

Before moving further, it might be useful to introduce the concept & process of outsourcing for the uninitiated.
So… what is outsourcing; you ask?

Outsourcing is a very common practice that is meant to decentralize the work of a company, entrusting a third party to do one or more specific task(s) that would normally be completed by you and/or a member of your staff. As the name itself clearly explains, this is a process of “sourcing out” some work to competent professionals who can handle the task easily, quickly and better. Perhaps, a practical example could easily help you visualize the process of outsourcing.

Two (2) Examples:
This example involves a small company and a practical problem.
Imagine being an entrepreneur who just started a business selling wine. You might be an excellent wine producer, but you might be having troubles designing and creating the bottles – Also think Label Design -you use for your wine production enterprise. A solution would be to invest money to enlarge the scale of your production facility, by purchasing the equipment and licenses needed to produce the bottles in house. In addition to that, you will then go on and hire experienced staff that could work within that specific sector of your workflow.

This is definitely a solution, but it is arguably expensive and time consuming. Isn’t there a quicker, more flexible and cheaper alternative? Yes there is; and it is called OUTSOURCING!

You can outsource your bottle production needs to an external manufacturer, who focuses on bottle making. Your new partner will probably have awesome equipment and skills, and be able to offer great turnaround times, being specialized in the task. Moreover, if things go wrong or if you simply decided you want to go another route, you can always change from this partner and try another manufacturer, without getting stuck with loads of equipment or extra employee you can no longer sustain.

Another example involves large corporate outsourcing:

Think of the 100’s of automobile and aircraft manufacturers in the world, and ask yourself:

Why don’t these companies manufacture their own tires? > think about it for a minute > for every single vehicle, the manufacturer needs 5 tires > Auto producers such as: GM, FORD, TOYOTA, others need millions of tires per year > why don’t we drive on FORD tires? That is because; they outsourced long ago, and never looked back.

The Process:

The process of outsourcing ISN’T only applicable to the manufacturing Sector since it is just as effective in Service Sector. Outsourcing applies to a variety of businesses, such as: Media, Marketing, promotion, Internet, website development, content creation, graphic design and more!

Many media platforms (news websites, blogs etc.) are known to outsource at least a part of their content to third party providers, who can easily deliver consistent results. Think “a graphic designer Photoshop-ing a PICTURE by a great photographer”. Likewise, many independent companies and small start-ups don’t really have a marketing division. Instead, they hire third party PR firms or marketing consultants to work on a campaign-by-campaign basis.

With such premises, it should be easy for you to understand the advantages of outsourcing work:

For starters, your own means, equipment or staff aren’t going to be a limit for you
Hiring an external professional allows you more freedom because you can take advantage of their facility and networks.
As mentioned above, outsourcing your work can also give you a kind of freedom: if you are not happy with what you have, you can simply try another provider, without getting stuck in a situation that would be slow or costly to change.

How To Do It:

The best way to find reliable and trustworthy professionals to hire for your outsourcing needs is definitely the World Wide Web. Internet is home to many independent freelancers and firms of all sizes offering all kinds of professional support, from consulting to manufacturing, marketing, promotions, and advertising.

Reputable firms usually consider selecting a reliable outsourced project –opportunity- as a great time & quality & cost decision (given time and cost savings that goes with it). That means there are many choices for you to choose from, and you can also find independent contractors and freelancer workers for a fraction of the price. Many of these professionals are known to offer great services through some online communities that act as a bridge between customers and freelance workers.

Places you can find these outsourcing talent:

Places such as fiverr.com, Odesk.com and freelancer.com are a safe and very popular platforms for anybody looking to outsource work. These sites are home to a vast community of freelance workers offering a wide range of services the process is usually monitored the “entire” way, from the first communication(s) to the final feedback and payment process. This way, everything is safer for both parties and the risk of scams is highly reduced. Freelance workers on these websites truly value feedback and are often really passionate and professional about the work they will do for you. There is something in it for them too! They get paid to do what they love, and add to their PORTFOLIO of accomplishments.

In conclusion, outsourcing is an opportunity to allow your business to excel on many different levels. No entrepreneur is skilled on a 360-degree angle on EVERYTHING that goes with starting and running a successful company. And if they don’t realize that simple fact; they should get out of being in business for themselves.

It is absolutely vital for you to understand your peaks and weaknesses. Hiring an external professional to outsource some specific task could be the perfect cure for your “Achilles’ heel”. That will provide opportunity to unfold the full potential of your endeavor and compartmentalize your processes for a more effective workflow, more free time for you, and higher income for your business.