When to Outsource
I wish I had known more about outsourcing when I started my first business. It would have eliminated some of the risks that we took in our first year and also as we grew.
Most of my career up until Covid was in the travel industry, so when I started looking at other options that would thrive during and post Covid, outsourcing looked like a good opportunity. SME’s who had previously been hesitant to hire VA’s realised due to remote working that they had to digitalise and demand quickly grew. SME’s benefit from the flexibility that allows them to scale up or down quickly.
Having done my research; I became a franchisee for Get Ahead, a virtual outsourcing agency; with a growing team of VA’s and marketing experts. Combined with my own business experience and the digital skills of my team I am able to support both small businesses as well as some larger ones.
Why should you outsource?
Outsourcing is a great option when you are planning to grow your business and are in the early stages of growth when you may not feel ready to commit to employment or are looking for specific expertise without the commitment of employing
It can help you manage your increasing workload, streamline your processes and grow your business. It’s also a great solution if you have a one-off project during your expansion process, like a business development campaign or a new website.
What should be outsourced?
So what can I outsource and what should I keep in house?
This will depend on the type of business you have and that stage that you are in your business growth.
Start Up Stage - Once you have started trading and have a steady flow of business coming in; you will soon find that you don’t have enough hours in the day to do it all; and neither do you have the skills for some of the work. Start with a time audit and consider outsourcing the following tasks:
Admin/inbox management/appointment setting
Telephone Answering
Accounting/Bookkeeping
Website Development & Build
Early Growth Stage - Once you are growing more consistently and have proven demand for your product or service consider outsourcing the following
Social Media
Business Development
Process Documentation
Now is also a good time to review your branding to ensure all your marketing reflects your core messaging and that you have documents for others to follow. This will ensure that when you are ready to recruit that the transition will be smooth and you will be able to effectively grow your team.
Mid Stage Growth - At this point; you will need to start thinking about recruiting; but some roles can still be outsourced
HR
Marketing Strategy.
Other marketing/business development roles
Tasks that don’t fit comfortably into an existing role
Holiday & sickness cover
Finding the Right Virtual Assistant
The first step is preparation; as this will ensure the best chance of success, especially if you have limited experience of managing people.
Clarify the “Why”
Start by thinking about why you need help. What is the problem that you have - is it drowning in admin, missing leads, or lack of consistency on social media? Then set priorities - decide what tasks must be outsourced first, and what can wait; and finally write down what success looks like
Organise internal processes
Document tasks using simple SOP’s (standard operating procedures) or screen recordings and choose collaboration tools in advance. You need to select a tool for communication, for task management and for file sharing and automate repetitive steps where possible
Prepare for access and security
Decide what they will need access to and use secure sharing tools. Make sure you create VA specific accounts and clarify what info they shouldn’t see.
Define the role clearly
Write a role description with tasks, skills required and expected hours
Onboarding Plan
Start with easy, well-defined tasks to build confidence, set expectation, ensure there are regular check in and share your company’s vision, values and branding guidelines.
Budget and ROI Mindset
Lastly it is important to know in advance your budget and what you can sustainably afford. You need to measure what you are getting back not just in tasks completed or increased leads, but also the number of hours you are getting back to do more strategic work.
When to recruit?
Recruitment will become essential as you grow, especially if you plan to grow to a 7 figure turnover and beyond. This is because your team will become a vital part of your success; especially if you are planning to step back from the day to day work at some point or sell the business.
To do this you will need to build your own team and invest in them to ensure that you develop a culture that sets you apart from the competition.
However, that doesn’t mean that you should top outsourcing altogether
What might you outsource at this stage?
👉 One off projects to test a new market
👉 Bring in expertise that you do not have in your team
👉 When it is more cost effective and not disruptive to your core team
👉 Specialist skills when you need them
👉 Save the costs of employment - holidays/sickness; tax & NI; technology/software
How do you get the most from outsourcing?
Outsourcing is an investment. You will want to see a great return and take your business to the next level so it is important to prepare as described above.
It is important to ensure that when outsourcing, the VA or other expert feels part of your team. Giving feedback is essential. in the same way as it would be if you were delegating to an employee. Make sure they feel valued and a part of your organisation.
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