I’ve been going through the notes that I jotted down while I was reading some business books to find any ideas for this blog posts, and I realised that most of them talk about the importance of outsourcing work when you start running your own business.

This may sound a bit risky given that when we start our own business when need to save as much money as we can just in case something go wrong. We think that this money would be a back-up or a plan B to escape from a hard situation.

We tend to be as cautious as possible. I’ve been there too. The problem is that we don’t realise that sometimes we are too cautious. And that’s also one of the reasons why most people prefer looking for in-house posts instead of going freelance and running their own business.

I have heard so many times things like: “you should look for a fixed and more reliable job; you never know what may happen in the future…” And that’s the point:

[Tweet “If we don’t try, we will never know what may happen, only what may have happened.”]

Taking risks is part of our careers as freelancers and many businesses out there. We have to assume it and bear that in mind to progress. We can’t change that. What we can change is the way we take these risks. We have to learn to make the right decisions so we can minimise the risks that we take. Bear in mind that by “minimise risks” I don’t mean to spend less or more money, I’m talking about how to spend money in a way that will result in a good investment for our businesses.

First things first

When we all star our own businesses, we have a series of fears that make us feel insecure at some point. For example, when I finished my degree and went freelance a few years ago, I knew that I was prepared to offer translation and interpreting services. However, I had no idea about how to run a business, how to pay taxes or how to design a website (among a long list).

Make a long list of all them.

Analyse your fears

Now that we have this long list of fears, we need to analyse them and classify them. Grab another piece of paper and split it up in three columns:

Think that I can and want to learn

Things that I can learn, but don’t want to do

Things that I can’t learn or don’t have the time to learn

Just to explain it with an example, these were three of my fears:

Think that I can and want to learnWrite website copies.

Things that I can learn, but don’t want to doWeb design.

Things that I can’t learn or don’t have the time to learnBookkeeping.

Learn what how to outsource

Obviously, you will have to outsource all the things that you don’t want to learn and don’t have the time to learn. Simply because these are the tasks that will take you time to master and will make you stay away from your main focus. Besides, they will make you do something that you don’t really like to do and this won’t allow you to enjoy every single aspect of your business.

In my case, one of these tasks was bookkeeping. It was something that I have never learnt and also didn’t enjoy. And that is what I hired an accountant. This saved me time (and therefore, money) and allowed me to focus on what I really like to do.

Regarding the second column, we need to think carefully about what we want to do with these fears. Would it be worth it to invest in training and do it by ourselves or would it be better to outsource by now?

In my case, one of my fears was the design of my web. Although I had experience with html and css language, I didn’t think I was able to create a professional website by my own, so I hired a web designer. However, as this is something that I like to do, I am now taking some courses about web designing, just in case I need to do some amendments in the future. Besides, this is also something that could help me with the translations of my clients’ websites.

How to delegate

Once you have decided which tasks are you going to start delegating, you need to know how to do it right.

• Prioritise: It’s time to put the list in order. Which tasks must be tackled first? Identify those tasks that must be done immediately.
• Establish objectives. Now that you are sure about how to outsource, you have to know what to expect from the person who is going to be responsible of them. Focus on every single task and answer the following questions:
  • What I expect from the outsourcer?
  • What am I going to do to turn this investment into profits?
  • Why is it going to be worth it?

        By doing this, you’re not only reminding yourself about why you’re outsourcing, but you’re also establishing the main goals for your outsourcers and will be able to assess your investment over the time.

• Find people that match your business values. These people will be likely to understand what you need and offer tailored services. They will focus on your needs and won’t treat you as another client. If you really want to establish long-lasting relationships with them, bear that in mind.
• Cheap is NOT good. We are not looking for saving money here. We’re looking for the perfect candidate and the best results of his/her work. Looking for the cheapest candidate will result in a bad outcome that will be detrimental for the performance of your business.
• Strong points of views. People with a strong attitude will know how to manage difficult situations just in case something goes wrong. People with the ability of solving problems are a very valuable asset for your business.
• Expertise & experience. Look for someone as specialised as possible. For example, if you are a start-up and are looking for an accountant, you might consider looking for an accountant specialised in working with start-ups as s/he will be more aware of your needs.

What about you? Do you use any strategy to outsource work within your business? Leave comment below!