A big concern for any startup owner is finding the right team. You can’t do everything on your own forever – eventually, you’ll have to bring other people on board to help you out. When this time comes, there is a lot that you need to factor into your decision, such as their expertise, the cost, and how well they’ll work with you.
One thing you should consider is working with an outsourced team. Rather than working with in-house employees, outsourcing portions of your operation can provide tremendous benefits. Here are just a few reasons why you should think about outsourcing.
Make the Most of Your Outsourced Teams
Outsourcing within your startup won’t help much if you don’t make the most of it. Here are some things you’ll need to do in order to get the most out of outsourcing:
Research
You should start by researching any freelancer or company that you want to work with before hiring them. See what kind of reviews they have received from past customers or ask other startup owners for recommendations. You can also use sites like Toptal and have them, screen freelancers, for you. This Toptal review will help you get a better sense of how this service works.
Tools
Besides finding the right people to outsource to, you also need to have the right tools. You need to have them in place so that the people you outsource to can easily get their work done. Some things you may need are communication tools, file-sharing software, and project management tools. If you’re not sure what to get, talk to the freelancer or company you’re outsourcing to for recommendations.
Leadership
Finally, you may need to adjust your leadership style. Working with freelancers and other companies is different than managing employees. You need to be comfortable working online, have some flexibility in your scheduling, and remember that you are not their boss. While the freelancer or company is likely glad to have your business, they may not put up with as much as an employee might. Spend some time learning how to be a better leader and both your employees and who you outsource to will be happier.
Once you’ve taken care of these three things, you’re ready to start getting all the benefits of outsourcing, such as:
Reduced Costs
The primary reason companies outsource things is due to costs. When you bring on an employee, there are a lot of costs associated with it. You need to pay them a salary, provide them benefits, and have a large enough office space to house everyone. The more employees you hire, the more you’ll have to spend to keep them all.
The costs associated with outsourcing are typically much lower. For example, if you hire a freelancer to work on your startup remotely, you don’t need to worry about providing benefits or office space. If you hire a company to perform a service for you, then you don’t need to worry about a salary either.
When you decide to outsource you can interview different freelancers or companies and get an estimate of their costs. You can then compare them against one another and choose the one that makes the most financial sense. By paying only for the service provided, rather than everything else that goes into having an employee, your startup can save a significant amount of money.
Wider Talent Pool
The next reason to consider outsourcing is that it provides you with a wider talent pool to pick from. For example, let’s say your startup is based on your local town. If you were to hire an employee to come into the office every day, your talent pool would be limited to only people within commuting distance. While you may find someone great within that area, it’s unlikely that they are the best possible choice.
With outsourcing, however, this isn’t a concern. You can literally hire people from all over the world, giving you a much wider talent pool. Through this method, you are much more likely to find someone who fits exactly what you are looking for in your startup.
Better Expertise
Companies and freelancers who provide a service are typically experts on that specific thing. By outsourcing, you are getting someone or a team who is great at a few select things, rather than good at a bunch of things.
For example, let’s say you want to outsource your email marketing operation. You could hire someone with experience in marketing, a person who has run a few email marketing campaigns in their previous jobs, or you could outsource to someone who specializes in email marketing. Regular employees often don’t have the luxury of only focusing on one aspect of their industry. They need to have a wide range of skills so that they can perform different duties depending on where they work.
Freelancers and other services don’t have to worry about this though. They can become experts on one specific thing, then sell that service. So, if you want the best people for specific tasks within your startup, you should definitely consider outsourcing.
Happier Workers
People who are happy with their jobs tend to provide better work. Since you’re a startup on a limited budget, it’s essential that you get the most out of everyone who is working for you. The only way to do this is to ensure that the people working for you are happy.
One thing that makes most workers happy is the ability to work from home. By outsourcing your tasks to freelancers, you’re more likely to be working with someone who is working from home. This means that they will be in a better frame of mind when working for you, and as a result, provide you with better results.
Of course, there are plenty of ways to make employees happy, including letting them work from home, but you can save yourself the trouble of setting up your startup to run remotely and just outsource your tasks.
Outsourcing is a great tool for startup owners when it is done right. If you’d like to receive the benefits mentioned above, it’s time for you to start researching how to outsource within your business. You can start small with one or two tasks, then as you grow accustomed to it and learn more, outsource even more responsibilities.
call center workers -DepositPhotos
