I hired my first full-time employee just over a year ago. I didn’t hire her because I needed her, I hired her because I wanted her (why? …because she’s kick-ass of course!). All of my businesses could chug along very well with just me and some outsourced staff.
One of the most frequent comments I get in my coaching practice from small business/solopreneurs is “yeah well I tried that outsourcing stuff but it doesn’t really work.” I’m here to testify, so here I go… hallelujah outsourcing works! You just have to know how to do it. And contrary to the way outsourcing is presented in books like “The 4 Hour Work Week”, it ain’t easy. Trust me, I’m testifying!
Last week on my TLC blog I posted the first in a 3 part outsourcing series. I am going to tell you what to outsource, when to outsource and how to outsource. I think you already know why… I’m typing this from Italy! And over here on the Master’s blog I am going to give you a little bit more. So pop over and read “What To Outsource” and then pop back here.
Read it? Goodie. Here is the bonus stuff. In the post we review the mean questions that you need to ask your self prior to deciding whether or not a task, project, responsibility is outsourceable (I know that’s not a word but I like it so I’m keeping it).
Here are the questions:
- Is this task a revenue impacting/generating activity
- Will you do this task more than three times?
- How much time will this task take?
- Do you have a unique or specialized skill set required for this task?
- Do you enjoy this task?
- Does this task lend itself to a clear, defined process?
And I give you the option to download a handy-dandy flow-chart that you can use to guide you through these questions. You can download it here.
But wouldn’t this whole outsourcing thing be much more valuable if you had some real life examples? Ta-da!
Presenting the “So You Can Make Real-life Sense Of These Very Difficult Questions Within The Context Of Some Tasks And Activities That You Might Possibly Find Within Your Own Business” video.
AUTHOR'S BIO
Location-Independent Entrepreneur & Certified Life Coach, Galahad, Wife, Mum, & Adventurer. Co-Founder of Galahads - The Secret Society for Kick-Ass Women. Founder & CEO of Emily Rose Doll Clothes and Wish Doll Company. Founder & CEO of Laptop Life Lisa. Finding the revenue and results inside every entrepreneur. Mum of a rocking 14 year-old daughter visit her at TheOneAndOnlyEmTV. Lucky wife of her soul-mate and fellow adventurer, Mark. Traveling the world while running four businesses and raising a teenager. Journey from the last 6 weeks? Bahamas to Scotland to England to France to Switzerland, currently hanging in Borgo Val di Taro, Italy. @LaptopLifeLisa