If you’re a small business owner you know the costs involved in running a business. Between office equipment, sales, marketing, payroll and employees – there isn’t much left.
But outsourcing is the trend that seems to be working for most successful small business owners. Not only is it cheaper than hiring people in-house, it’s the way one takes advantage of using it only when you need to, thus saving a lot of cash.
As most business owners come to realize, you can’t do it all! Taking on help is not only wise, but it means keeping your sanity. Find out what part of the business you are really great at taking care of, and keep doing that. The things that you aren’t great at should be given to someone else to complete. Such as payroll – if you struggle each week, or 2 weeks figuring out payroll checks, by all means, outsource it.
Don’t spend precious time on anything but growing your business, and what you’re good at.
Here are some tasks that you can outsource:
Payroll:
Not only are you cutting a major amount of time from your bookkeeper or yourself, you’re putting the burden of this time consuming and possibly more expensive task in errors and penalties into the hands of experts.
This is usually the first step a small business takes in outsourcing. Hiring an in-house accountant and/or bookkeeper can eat up a lot of cash, and although you will need an accountant, you won’t need them nearly as much if you outsource your payroll.
There are many excellent payroll companies out there, and the savings are worth the search. Start with the bigger ones, such as Paychex – and go from there. You might find a smaller company that has more to offer than a big one, so look around, talk to other small business owners and find one that suits your company.
Then the only task is to call in the hours each pay period.
Accounting/Bookkeeping:
If you need a CFO, for example, but can’t afford their going salary, as luck would have it many are on the take for part time work. They could come in once or twice a month for financial advice and analysis and save the rest for the lesser expensive bookkeeper you’ve hired a few days a week as an Independent Contractor.
No reason to hire high-powered financial people when they can do the work in less time than hiring a full time employee to do the work, and then end up doing other menial tasks a less skilled person could complete.
Marketing:
The old saying, “You have to spend money to make it”, was probably developed with marketing in mind. Advertising in a trade journal of your business’ focus could use up your marketing budget for a month.
So how do you get your company out there to the public, without going broke?
Internet networking for heavens sake! Facebook alone has 800 million users. Can you think of another venue with that many people available to reach in a short period of time?
There is not only Facebook, but also a treasure trove of online mediums, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Skype, and many more that can help you create an online brand – communicate with others, all of which will bring in clients.
Reach out on a few of these venues and find out which one works best for your business. The Internet is one of the most powerful marketing tools available today, so save your money and give it a try.
IT (Information Technology)
Whether you need a software system set up, or a website – finding an IT service provider in an outsource situation would highly reduce costs of having a computer expert in-house. And, since most people don’t have the slightest idea about creating a software program, or tailoring one to suit the needs of your business, it’s also smart.
Not only that but creating a website, or integrating a couple of software programs can be extremely time consuming for the novice.
But don’t just look locally, because with the Internet, Skype and a host of other contact mediums – some of the best IT gurus are all over the world.
A good starting place is ACLSA of Los Angeles that is a service provider that takes care of small businesses IT needs. And they are just the beginning. Talk to other business owners and get suggestions for what your specific technology needs are.
In summary, finding others to help do the work in less time than you could do it, as well as experts who know their field can help get your business thriving. Trust that these people know their stuff, and do the research beforehand. Check references and speak with others who have worked with them – it will help you sleep at night.
About the Author
Kristy Ramirez is a business writer who understands the hard work and complications that can arise.