How To Outsource for More Freedom In Your Business
And the 3 ways to look at outsourcing
How To Outsource for More Freedom In Your Business Summary:
How to outsource so that you have more freedom in your business is a great thing to look at for any business owner.
Running a business can be incredibly rewarding, but it's also hard work. You often have to wear many hats and juggle a lot of different tasks at once.
It's easy to feel like you're spread too thin and that you can't possibly do everything yourself. This is where outsourcing can help.
By outsourcing specific tasks, you can free up your time to focus on the aspects of your business that you love.
Here are ways to find the right person to outsource to and how to make sure that it's a good fit for both of you.
Chances are your business to-do list is already stacked to the ceiling. And if your business is in growth-mode? Well, the work has probably multiplied tenfold.
So, the question remains: How are you supposed to get everything done? There are only twenty-four hours in the day, after all.
That’s when “outsourcing” (*dun dun dun*) comes in.
This word strikes fear into the hearts of many green entrepreneurs, but before you write it off with a hard “no”, lets’ get familiar with the term and its various forms.
Outsourcing Takes Many Forms
Getting external help is usually done for two different purposes: 1) hiring for a task, and 2) hiring for results. The purpose depends significantly on each individual business and its corresponding needs; however, regardless of your reasoning, outsourcing can be a strategic method of gaining more freedom in your business!
Outsourcing By Hiring A Team
For those looking to hire a team, there are TWO ways you can hire–
Outsourcing Tip #1 Hire for a task.
This route is taken when you want to remove tasks off your plate, but you are still managing the task. Often, this is an investment in the beginning because you will be spending more time overlooking and training your new team in this task. However, once the training is over and they can handle it on their own, you’ll immediately feel that rush of relief.
Outsourcing Tip #2 Hire for results.
When you hire for results, you hand over a task and expect that they will come back to you with a finished product. You take the management part out of it because the person you hire is already trained in what you’re asking them to do. You’ll find that this type of outsourcing gets the most amount of time back.
Finding The Right People to Outsource for Freedom In Your Business
Here’s the truth…
Every person you talk to about a potential job opportunity will tell you they’re qualified. I mean, why wouldn’t they? They want the job!
So, at the end of the day, you never really know how good someone is until you see them do the work.
This is why every time I’m looking to hire, I set up a selection process that enables me to look at the quality of work they produce. This process starts by selecting three or four different candidates and asking them to complete a task similar to one that I would hire them for.
This process starts by:
I do this so that I can see:
At the end of the day, this hiring process will weed out the people who cannot deliver, which, ultimately, is every entrepreneur's biggest concern when hiring.
Pro-Tip!
Referrals work great with outsourcing, especially if you don’t need to hire someone for the day-to-day tasks in your business, but simply need help with projects that are falling a bit behind.
Don't be afraid to ask the person giving the referral how they would rate their various skills on a scale from 1-10 so you have a better idea of what to expect going in.
How to Outsource to have more Freedom in Your Business? When is it enough?
The question is, “How much do I outsource to get the freedom I want but the stability I need in my business?’.
To get a better understanding of this, I want you to see where most of your time is being spent AND how revenue-generating it is. In order to do this, I encourage you to write down every task you complete every day for two weeks straight. Next to each task, indicate which category it falls under out of the following three:
#1 Things I need to be doing
Only you can do these. You can not outsource them.
But, think about the things that truly only you can do and pass on the rest of the item to be finished by someone else.
Which brings us to item #2...
#2 Things that need to get done
These are the things that need to get done but not necessarily by the business owner.
Say to yourself: I don’t have to do them personally.
(I know, sometimes It is hard to relinquish control, but this is ultimately the best thing for you AND your business).
#3 Things that don’t necessarily need to be done RIGHT NOW
Things that don’t necessarily need to be done RIGHT NOW but would be good investments for the future could possibly be outsourced.
Remember: As a business owner, it’s not your job to do everything, but it is your job to ensure it gets done.
Think about these things to gauge how much TRULY needs to be delegated and you can move forward from there!
Wrapping It Up
As I say frequently to my clients, there’s no such thing as “one size fits all” when it comes to business, meaning that each and every company will outsource in different ways. However, regardless of which route you take, it’s important that you have an understanding of which tasks truly NEED to be outsourced, which tasks you feel you must PERSONALLY do, and what the desired outcome of each task looks like before pulling the trigger.
Once you fully grasp this, you can start putting your outsourcing game plan into action and FINALLY get the free time you deserve!
Leslie Hassler
Leslie Hassler is a popular author and speaker who spends much of her time coaching business owners on how to run their growing businesses by their rules. Delivering high-touch, personalized service, Leslie works with her clients as a partner, not just a consultant (who would pop in, tell you what to do, then leave).
Leslie teaches her clients a structured way to decide what to do first, second, next -- and never – in their businesses, so that they can learn to do it for themselves.
Leslie lives in Dallas with her husband and two kids, so she knows it’s not just about growing the business – it’s about getting the business ship shape so it grows and you can be home in time for dinner.
Leslie speaks on topics such as business leadership, prioritizing the business owner’s To Do list, and how to create and implement a strategic plan for growth.
If you’d like to have Leslie come speak to your group or organization, or present at your event, inquire here.