Optimal Outsourcing – 5 Critical Business Functions to Outsource for Growth

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Small business owners don’t have to do it all. It’s hard to hear that, even harder to believe it when a business is your heart and soul. Are you spending too many hours doing tasks that you hate? Are you missing your projected earnings because you don’t have time to do the work you love? Have you asked your staff to wear too many hats that maybe just don’t fit?

It’s time to consider outsourcing. Free yourself from the expectation that every aspect of your business must occur in your office, and take a look at the non-revenue generating business functions that you could contract out to experts:

• Information Technology
• Human Resources
• Marketing
• Legal
• Administrative

Outsourcing these areas not only gives you access to people at the top of their industry in critical tasks of your business, but it also alleviates you from carrying their full-time salaries and the additional cost of their benefits.

Information Technology

Small business IT support can be a hefty in-house cost and an ideal business function to outsource. You could hire a company comprised of experts in the IT industry to maintain your security, provide the latest communication software, and even help you minimize your carbon footprint by controlling your printing costs. Imagine having access to the newest technology to help you better serve your clients without the investment of owning it!

Human Resources

Human resource tasks do not generate revenue but are integral to the operation of your business. Most small businesses can’t afford a full-time person, but still need to manage employee benefits, stay on top of regulatory requirements, and process payroll.  Instead of asking an employee with minimal experience to attempt these feats, consider outsourcing this work to a vendor. Not only would you have access to seasoned individuals who can help you steer clear of potential human resource landmines, in addition to performing all the necessary tasks, your company would also be eligible for group discounts on benefits packages.

Marketing

Many businesses desire to increase brand awareness and grow their customer base but are not skilled in online marketing. Meanwhile, social media advertising and search engine optimization are the bread and butter of freelancers. Hiring a part-time freelancer with online marketing experience can have a significant bottom-line impact for a relatively small cost.

Legal

Very few small businesses can afford the cost of a full-time staff lawyer, but legal services are imperative to ensure the contracts are in place to protect both the company and the employees. Hiring a lawyer to create the initial documents, which can be modified later, could be substantial cost savings. When legal needs increase, outsourcing firms exist that specialize in tackling the more mundane, day-to-day tasks.

 Administrative

You should not be donating precious chunks of your time to scheduling calls and meetings, answering dozens of similar emails and arranging travel. Consider creating rules for your basic administrative tasks and hiring a freelancing virtual assistant to perform them for you on a part-time basis. With your renewed focus on revenue-generating tasks, the minimal cost of the virtual assistant should be covered in no time.

The best hours of your day should be spent on tasks that generate revenue and prepare your company to excel in the future. Why not reduce your operating costs while improving the quality of help by outsourcing your non-revenue generating functions to experts?  Start by freeing up your time with a part-time virtual assistant, then research the expertise you could access by contracting out information technology, human resources, marketing, and legal functions.