If you are still on the fence about outsourcing and making yourself more virtual, the time to get off the fence is now. Outsourcing has become more and more a part of my business and personal life in the last six months - I wonder how I ever got things done before.
I’m pulling out my crystal ball and predicting that there is going to be a growing disparity in the productivity of entrepreneurs and professionals that utilize outsourcing and those that do not. The most obvious spot that this disparity is going to show up is on the bottom line. Businesses that outsource, separate and delegate non-core functions are going to become more significantly more profitable than those that do not in the very near future.
Just for fun, I am kicking out 5 more reasons why you need to start outsourcing right now…
1. Make ‘work from anywhere’ a reality
The Four Hour Work Week need not be just the title of a book. Outsourcing should be one of the main components in your strategy to achieve flexibility and geographical freedom in your business or profession.
If you are tied to employees or an office, it’s pretty hard to manage from a distance for extended period of time. Using outsourcing service providers, on the other hand, will allow you to build your business with an inherent flexibility - you can ‘plug & play’ on certain type of projects, tasks and ongoing operations (just like when the A-Team was getting ready to get things done).
Increased peace of mind and confidence will befall you when you know you can pick up your computer and work for a few days (or weeks) from the poolside in Las Vegas.
2. Get 10 times as much done
Surprise! Surprise! Unloading tasks from your plate and freeing up your time to put your focus where it needs to be = making money. The more you focus on what you are good at, what you like to do and what makes you money the more higher your personal satisfaction will be and the better your business will perform.
Perhaps this sounds like garbled business cliche to you. Rest assured, it has rung true time and time again in my business. As my businesses have grown, there have been times where I wondered ‘where did this day go?’ It’s often hard to measure your productivity as a business owner - you are forced to wear so many hats. I feel that any advantage I can get from clearing tasks and processes out of my way (or out of the way of my company’s daily internal functions) is going to be beneficial - financially and mentally.
3. Get a global perspective
Just about every entrepreneur I know is either:
a. not focused on taking advantage of the global economy or,
b. blissfully unaware of the effects of globalization on their business.
No matter what business you are in you are affected by the global economy. I think this is a good thing. Entrepreneurs that ignore or fail to take stock of this fact are in for a rude awakening; either in terms of lost opportunities or vanishing customers.
The more you think of your business as a global business, the better off you are going to be. The more you outsource, the more you will come into contact and work with service providers from across the world. When you start working with companies and individuals from countries like: India, China, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, Romania and others you will get a glimpse of what is going on around the world of global business and this will make you a better business leader.
4. Cocktail party conversation
You’ll have something more interesting to talk about at your next chamber of commerce or networking event when you start outsourcing. Gone will be the days of witty banter about the new property tax credit legislation or the donuts they served at the last event. While you might not want to gush the details of your business operations to others, you will definitely be more in tune with the market and your customers because you will have had more time to focus on it (since you are spending less time on the junk, non-value added work).
5. Intellectual growth capital
Outsourcing will force you to learn more about: communication, technology, business processes, management and will make you a better leader of your business. Combine all of these things on an accelerating path and you will have a force to be reckoned with.
Too often, entrepreneurs get caught up in ‘the now’, the actions we have to do today and lose sight of the future and what we will need to do to equip ourselves for success. Although being too busy to read and study is not an excuse, at least by living and breathing new and faster moving changes in the business world you will be able to keep yourself abreast of what is going on and stay ahead of the curve.
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I hope you now feel compelled to start outsourcing some tasks and business processes right away. Remember: “the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single breath.”
Go!
Thanks Adam! I couldn’t agree more. I get these two questions the most when I talk about outsourcing.
What is the best way to get started - where does one begin?
How do you interview across the ocean, timezone and cultures?
Keep up the great work!
Beverly
http://www.globalbusinessperspectives.com
Hi Beverly,
Good questions, I’ll address them in order:
1. How do you get started/where to begin
-I think the best way is to first define the tasks and processes you perform on a regular/semi-regular basis; next, use a site like http://www/guru.com or http://www.elance.com and post a small trial project for an outsourcing service provider or freelancer that involves delegating one or more of your tasks to them. Closely evaluate their performance and select/adjust accordingly. It is best to start small, get used to the workflow and then build up to bigger and bigger projects
2. How do you interview across great distances and across cultures?
-Distance elimination: there is a lot of technology available for ‘real time’ collaboration at reasonable cost. You can use free services like skype or you can use conferencing technology like gotomeeting, webex, accuconference and the like. it all depends on what you want your end product to look like.
Culture- as far as interviewing other cultures, I haven’t done a great deal of interviewing, but I have done my share of working. The best way to bridge cultural differences is to leave your pretenses and biases aside, be crystal clear about the end result you are after and be patient. One of the biggest issues that usually has to be overcome when working across cultures is Context - each culture operates under certain common ‘knowns’ that may be unknown to other business cultures, and this effects everything from the interpretation of news to the urgency of workflow.
Thanks for your comment. I hope this helps.
Best,
AJD