Entrepreneurs often do many different parts of their businesses themselves. But just because you can do it, doesn’t mean it’s the best idea. Doing everything means that your ability to grow is limited to the number of hours in a day you can work. Running a small business comes with many different challenges. Many of them can be relieved by choosing to outsource important roles to reliable people and agencies. When you free up your time, you’re able to focus on the most important income-generating activities in your business and to think strategically to grow.
Marketing
Unless you are already a marketing expert, outsourcing this key role can be an incredible asset. Small businesses rely on many forms of marketing to reach new people and convert them to customers. There are many types of marketing, but some of the best to outsource are these:
Digital Marketing
Hiring a digital marketing expert can bring your business to new heights quicker than you can alone. Their expertise helps attract the right clientele and boost your brand awareness so more people know about you. When you need digital marketing services, it’s important to find a firm that offers what you need and can show you case studies for their results with previous clients. It also helps to find a firm that may have experience with your type of business and customer profile.
Content Marketing
Content marketing utilizes useful and relevant information to draw in customers. These can be in the form of blog posts, informative articles, e-books, videos, podcasts, and more. The content should be produced in a regular cadence and distributed through many different channels to all the places where your target audience is. If writing and creating media isn’t your field of expertise, it’s a great task to outsource.
Social Media Marketing
Another important area of marketing is social media marketing. With all the different social media platforms, this can get confusing and overwhelming quickly. When you outsource to a social media marketing expert, you can rest assured your investment will be well spent and your business can grow.
Web Design
Creating an appealing website is a little bit art and a little bit science. A good web designer can make your website look and feel cohesive and unique. They can also create a look that appeals to your target audience. When you outsource web design services, you’ll get their expertise and skills along with more free time to focus on other areas of your business.
IT Services
Most small businesses don’t hire full-time IT staff to get started. But when technology breaks, it’s vital that you have a team who can help you fix it quickly. Broken workflows, apps, and websites can cost you a lot of money in lost sales. There are many facets to IT services including tech support, cybersecurity, and coding. Each of these IT services helps your business succeed.
Accounting
Do you dread taxes each year? Then outsource it. Accounting incorporates many different aspects of business finances. Hiring a professional accountant to handle it can save you more money than you spend. Business taxes are complex, and there may be multiple tax deadlines you need to consider throughout the year. A good accountant will ensure that your quarterly taxes get paid, that your payroll taxes get paid, and that you can keep up with the annual changes that make filing taxes so tricky.
Payroll
Outsourcing payroll simplifies the process of paying your employees. It ensures you take out all the proper taxes, pay your employees the right amount on time, and that you don’t need to spend time doing it each week. Furthermore, if you have a complicated payroll, or hire internationally, it is well worth your while to recruit international payroll services for peace of mind and total accuracy.
Bookkeeping
Some businesses don’t bother with bookkeeping, but this regular maintenance of your business finances helps you see where your business is doing well and where it is not. By outsourcing bookkeeping, you can easily find areas that need more financial attention and ones that need less. You’ll be able to see how your spending is comparing to the budget you set and what you can do to ensure you don’t overdo it.
Legal Services
While you never imagine you’ll need a lawyer, it’s best to have one on retainer for your business. Things happen. Vendors may sue, customers may pursue legal action, and you may simply need a solid contract written up. Outsourcing legal services can save you from headaches and possibly from even losing your business. A great business lawyer is an asset that can help you navigate copyright and trademark laws and even file for them on your behalf.
Customer Support
Happy customers buy more, and they tell their friends. If you want your business to grow, it’s important to either hire someone or outsource customer support. Outsourcing this important role gives you more flexibility in running the other parts of your business. You can rest assured that someone is responding to customer emails and phone calls and helping them with their purchases and complaints. It also helps you if you need to go out of town and gives you more flexibility and freedom as an entrepreneur. You’ll have peace of mind that your customers are taken care of even when you aren’t available.
Things You Don’t Enjoy Doing
When you really hate doing particular tasks, you are more likely to procrastinate or not do it at all. This can be especially problematic for small businesses. Growth requires having systems and processes in place that can be scaled. Outsourcing key roles give you more time to ensure that the processes you have in place are giving you the results you want for your business.
If you dislike administrative tasks, find a good VA to take it off your plate. If you don’t want to do your own accounting and payroll, there are companies who can fill in the gap. It’s easy for entrepreneurs and small business owners to try and do everything themselves. It’s more valuable in the long run to find skilled and capable people to come alongside your business. Outsourcing to professionals helps you enjoy your business more and get more accomplished.
