The Top 5 Myths About Outsourcing (That Are Holding You Back From The Business Growth You Desire)
When I talk to service providers and coaches about outsourcing, I almost always hear several common objections and reasons they haven’t started to fully build their dream team.
And almost every single ‘reason’ is in reality a false assumption or a false belief.
If you want to create a business that’s truly structured in a way that allows you to grow and scale, while also having the time freedom you desire, you have to outsource.
Now, I don’t mean you have to hire a big team of employees.
You get to decide what your dream team looks like. And maybe for you that means having one virtual assistant. Maybe it means having a content team and an Online Business Manager.
Whatever it is, I encourage you to start before you think you’re ready.
And to help you get over the hurdles of false assumptions, I’m taking the top 5 I hear and addressing them head on!
I admit, this one got me too initially! However, if you’re NOT outsourcing some work, you’re actually creating a cycle in which you’re not increasing your revenue, and then thinking you’re still not ‘big enough’ to hire a team yet, and then staying stuck and waiting to increase your revenue, still thinking you’re not ‘big enough’, etc… you get it!
So it’s not true because (1) if you don’t outsource you’re stagnating your growth, and (2) it doesn’t actually cost that much to outsource certain work.
Consider the amount of time it’s taking you to do certain tasks (not to mention the energy drain associated with them).
What could you be doing in that time to generate revenue?
How can you spend that time on things that inspire and excite you (not to mention those you’re helping)?
Would you make more in that hour than the hourly rate you’re paying someone who’s helping you with a given task or function?
This is only true for the very first time you delegate a specific task to someone. If you’ve hired the right person for your business, you’ll definitely be saving time (not wasting it) by delegating.
Here’s a trick for making this process even quicker…
The first time I have a new task for someone on my team, I send them a screen recording where I do the task myself and talk through what I’m doing. I use Loom for this personally - it makes it super simple! This takes me only slightly longer than when I’m just doing the task myself. Since I’d be doing it anyway (and then doing it again, and again…), this really is not a significant increase in time commitment.
Then, I have them outline the steps I describe in the screen recording in a Google Doc, so that we have written instructions as well.
Finally, I review that document and we put it into our project management system for future reference.
Other than answering a few questions and doing a quick review of the work, that’s all the time commitment that’s required of me to delegate the task. And moving forward, I don’t have to do it (or really think about it) again!
Think about it: Say you have a task that takes you an hour to do, and you do it once a week.
That’s 52 hours that you’re spending on that task each year.
Now you decide to outsource it. Let’s say it takes you 2 hours to train someone to do it. And you spend 5 minutes each week reviewing it. That’s about 4 hours for the entire year that you’re spending on the task.
You just saved 48 hours. What are you going to do with it?
There are amazing people you can hire! Now, I’m not saying they’re easy to find or that it’ll be quick. However, the long-term payoff is so worth it when you have team members you can trust and who are truly part of the business you’re building.
You can hire some great freelancers starting at $15/hr. You can definitely find people for specific tasks that you shouldn’t have on your plate, and if you’ve hired the right person they’ll do it just as well as you (if not better).
And even if you hire someone for $30/hr or more – how much are you gaining from that hour of YOUR time? And how much value is the work they’re doing actually providing your business?
There certainly are freelancers who are not fit for the work they’re trying to do. I’ve seen it and I get it - it can be frustrating. But with a little effort and some care taken during the recruitment and onboarding process, you can absolutely have an amazing person on your team who you’re totally impressed by AND one you can afford at that stage of your business.
Some of them, absolutely. There are also ‘regular full-time’ employees who are flakey, call in sick, don’t do their share of the work, you name it…This isn’t something unique to the online business world.
Just because you’re not a large corporation doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be taking similar precautions in the hiring process. Your approach will be different than a corporation, but the underlying principles are still the same.
The bottom line is that the onus is on you to vet potential team members properly. You need to take the time to ask the right questions, assess their attitude and work ethic, and check references/verify testimonials.
You do need to take steps when opening your doors to a team, like ensuring they sign a non-disclosure and a non-compete clause within a contract, which state that they are not to disclose confidential information about your business nor are they allowed to contact your clients directly for a period of time after working with you.
Other than that, the most important thing is that you make a genuine effort to hire the RIGHT person. When you have the right people, you’ll want to train them and see them learn. In turn, they’ll be helping you as you grow your business.
Yes, eventually they will leave – you’re not likely to have a life-time team member. But your goal should be to make the best use of them while you have them – invest in them, shower them with knowledge. If they’re the right person for your team they’ll be grateful for it, they’ll give it all they’ve got while they’re with you, and they’ll move on in their own way.
Now is absolutely the perfect time to start outsourcing at least some of the work on your to-do list. Trust me, it doesn’t have to be a daunting task or something that keeps you up at night. Get started before you’re ready 🤗
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