Working Smart-outsourcing

If you are trying to run your own small business, and you aren't familiar with outsourcing, then you are very likely spending a bunch of time doing things that you could have other people doing for you.

Outsourcing is becoming more and more popular, given the number of tasks that can be done off site, and especially given the costs savings of outsourcing vs. hiring someone full time.

There are a number of outsourcing websites out there that allow you to post a job you need done, and within a few days you'll have a number of people bidding on it! I've used outsourcers (Commonly referred to as virtual assistants, or "VA's") to do a number of tasks for my company, such as creating mailing lists, gathering advertising quotes, booking hotels, planning travel arrangements, and even making calls for me.

Often you will see VA's from other countries such as India. You can expect to pay less for someone from another country, but there is often a language barrier, and misinterpretations from the directions you were giving.

If you are operating a small business, think about the time you spend every day, or every week doing tasks that could be done from another location. Such as loading inventory on a website, creating newsletters, mailings, updating customer information etc. ANYTHING you can think of, that you could do from another location, can be outsourced.

I used to spend 3 hours a week on our newsletter, which means often times it wouldn't get done. But now I outsource it to a lady that needs no direction and knows how to structure it. She updates our contacts, creates the letter, and it's done!

In my lease option training, I actually introduce the students to the VA that I use for a number of projects, and allow the students to utilize her for the same tasks for them. Thereby greatly reducing the time required for start up. It's all part of the business in a box.

You can find VA websites such as Elance, Brickworx, etc, but simply searching virtual assistant, or outsourcing.

When you first find a VA, give him or her a test job, and see how they perform. I would actually recommend hiring 3 or 4 people for the same task, then see who does the best job. That's how I found my VA's. I tried a number out for the same tasks, and the ones that didn't cut the mustard weren't invited to play again.