Note: Something I think more small business owners and creators should do more is freelancer, so I’ve turned to my friends at GoWP to give us some great advice on what we can outsource!

All business owners and entrepreneurs suffer from the same problem. They have a compulsion to try and do everything themselves and it can be impossible to relinquish control, even over the smallest things.

So how can you find the time to grow your agency and create recurring revenue?

Where does all the time go?

Starting any business requires a ton of planning, long hours, and hard work (cue personal montage to Eye Of The Tiger). It is perfectly normal and almost expected to get started by doing everything yourself and learning as you go.

The thing is that your end goal should never be to continue working that way.

Look at how we have adapted our daily lives to be organized and controlled with apps and tech. We are seeking out assistance in any way we can to allow us to get more done and have time for living.

In our daily lives, we effectively outsource responsibilities and task management to apps. So, why shouldn’t we do the same for our business?

The big worry about outsourcing

The main reason why small businesses are reluctant to outsource is the perceived idea of losing control of different aspects of their business, and the knock-on effect this can have on the quality of work produced.

This is especially a concern when you have an outward-facing company, where your image and brand are everything. However, you can release that fear.

Fundamentally, there is no difference between the quality of work you receive from a full-time employee compared to an outsourced contractor. Any reputable outsourcing partner will implement an onboarding process for your business that will usually outline codes of conduct for both parties, and encourage you to inform the contractor of your process.

From here, you essentially have a new member of your team, like any other. The only difference is they are not in the office.

Hiring a full-time employee doesn’t just mean you are paying their salary. It also means that your tax obligations could change, you will need to provide sick days, vacation time, worker compensation, and medical insurance!

That should sufficiently cover the whys and why not’s. Now let’s move on to the what’s.

The 5 functions you should be outsourcing

1. Accounting

This will probably be the function you are most looking forward to outsourcing. Why? Because accounting is time-consuming, very complicated, and a bit dull!

If you don’t have the right training or experience, you could potentially be setting yourself up for issues down the line. With the complexity of State and Federal rules, it’s something that is definitely worth outsourcing to experts.

The investment in outsourcing a reliable and experienced accountant is well worth the expense compared with the potential cost of making a mistake!

Another real benefit to outsourcing your accounting is the potential to achieve cost savings. After all, you are working with an expert who can advise you on ways of improving your bookkeeping and ways your business could be eligible for tax reductions or even relief.

In some cases, this can improve your ability to create a stronger scope for the future and better projections that could help you land bigger projects and further investment. 

2. Content marketing

This is the one that you might have some trouble with “letting go” of.

First off, you’re not relinquishing control of anything by choosing to outsource your content marketing. That might seem like an oxymoron, but look at it this way… You are still writing the briefs!

This does not mean giving a stranger the keys to your content with free reign to write whatever they want. Actually, it’s the complete opposite. You will have total control over the entire process, other than the actual ‘creation’ part.

Have you ever found yourself staring at a blank page not knowing what to write?

This is where you can leverage the expertise of professional copywriters and content creators who know how to create content more efficiently.

All you need to do is provide information on your business, brand, and tone of voice. Then you can choose either to provide content ideas or utilize their knowledge—driven by research, this is an important step—to create expertly curated content that is SEO optimized and will result in the lead nurturing and recurring revenue that you are dreaming of. You can even outsource a Podcast creation!

3. Website management

Now that anyone can build a website thanks to superb tools, it’s easy to forget that it also requires regular monitoring and maintenance to ensure that everything is up to date and that you don’t fall victim to hackers and security breaches.

The other side is the maintenance of plugins, add-ons, and site content. There are so many moving parts involved in bringing your customers a superb online experience, and they require constant attention.

Unfortunately, you can’t just update everything because different plugins usually don’t play nicely with each other. This can result in a painfully slow loading experience for your customers which not only reflects badly on your business. It can also have serious ramifications for your search engine ranking.

By outsourcing your website management to professional web developers, you can ensure that your website is performing to its best potential, it is clean and free from malware. Plus, in the worst-case scenario, your site gets hacked, you will not lose all of the valuable content and data you have invested so much time and resources in creating.

4. Social media management

You might think that this would fall under content creation, but managing your social media accounts is a full-time job.

Your social media presence is one of the best ways to develop a sense of trust with your audience. That is trust in your product or service, and you.

This trust can be built in a number of ways. A primary way is in the content that you create, and offering additional value with informative and educational content that is also fun and engaging—this takes a lot of time to get good at!

But equally, the most beneficial way you can build trust in your business is by engaging with your audience. That can involve replying to a whole host of comments and curating your content calendars to respond to the needs and pain points of your audience.

Outsourcing your social media management will allow you to hold someone accountable for the success of your digital presence. It will save you money and boost your brand image.

5. Virtual Assistant

A virtual assistant (VA) can significantly improve your productivity by managing your schedule and taking on the more mundane daily tasks like checking emails and answering phone calls. This allows you to focus your time and attention on growing and marketing your business, you know, the jobs that move you forward rather than keep you in one place.

They’re not restricted by normal workday hours because they operate around your schedule. They could even be in a different time zone which you can use to your advantage by assigning a schedule that maximizes output rather than a rigid eight-hour shift.

VA’s work from their own space, so you benefit from more focussed work and dedicated time planning to get the tasks that you need doing, done.

And the best part? If for any reason you aren’t happy with the service they are providing, you can easily end the contract and hire a different assistant!

Because VA’s are essentially self-employed, they have a far more vested interest in ensuring client satisfaction. Their reputation is reliant on providing a top-quality service, which means there is very little room to start slacking and missing deadlines.

Don’t be surprised if you find that your new VA is the most motivated person in your entire team!

Finding the right outsourcing partner

Outsourcing can only be a success if you work with the right outsourcing partner. The ethical code of practice that an outsourcing partner sets, and requires from its team, are what will define the tone of the relationship moving forward.

One of the main reasons why outsourcing can be a better option than freelancing is the level of accountability, and guarantee of high-quality service that you can expect. Meanwhile, you experience all of the benefits of a ‘freelance’ business arrangement. So no fixed contrasts, reduced overheads, and no salaries.

When you are working with a reliable and proven outsourcing partner such as GoWP, you can rest assured that your investment will deliver the recurring revenue you are aiming for.

The gift of time

You didn’t start your business to get bogged down in accounting, creating content, and making updates to your website. You started your business because you had a vision of offering a product or service to people, and you want to continue building your customer base and generating recurring revenue.

Working with outsourcing partners gives you access to wider resources without having to make significant and long-term investments in recruiting additional team members.

It’s time to take control of your time and get back to focusing on growing your business and not just maintaining it.