You started your business to do what you love but as you got into it, realized there were also a lot of things about business that you either hate or don’t know how to do well. That’s where outsourcing comes in to save the day (and your sanity!). So what sort of things can you outsource? Take a look!

Accounting

Let’s face it, the idea of accounting is frustrating or even downright scary to a lot of people. Unless you love numbers, understand accounting procedures, and taxes, you’re probably better off contracting out a bookkeeper or accountant to manage that process instead of trying to learn about all of those while running your business. By doing so, you increase your company’s efficiency AND save yourself money. This is the most commonly outsourced process for small businesses.

Marketing and Branding

You want to grow your business but that’s hard to do when you haven’t studied marketing, graphic arts, or have the time to get it done. By hiring a competent marketing firm, you can let the professionals handle all of that and bring more clients your way, increasing your sales and profit. These firms can help you develop branding, marketing strategies, build your website, manage your online presence, and social media accounts.

Administrative Tasks and Customer Service

The more time you spend on emails, calls, and customer service issues, the less time you’re actually making money doing what you do best. Now there are VAs (virtual assistants) for almost every situation and specialty that can handle those tasks for you. Maybe you just need someone who can go through your emails and input notes or perhaps you need someone calling and setting appointments who knows your business and how long certain things may take. Either way, contracting the right VA will give you more time and money in your pocket which is, after all, the goal.

Human Resources and Payroll

As your business grows, eventually you may need to hire an employee to help you handle jobs you take on. When that time comes, many business owners find it easier to contract the paperwork and payroll management to an outside firm that knows what the laws and taxes are and can handle all of the required paperwork and payments. By outsourcing this, it can also help you avoid any legal trouble with state and federal governments since tax laws and regulations can be complex and overwhelming.

Manufacturing

If you provide a physical product, setting up a whole factory as your sales grow can be quite expensive for a small business. Many product sellers outsource this process as they scale up. This doesn’t mean that you have to outsource to a foreign manufacturer, though many do take that route to keep costs low. There are still many American manufacturers you can work with when you’re ready to make that leap.

IT Management

IT is a constantly changing industry that includes not only computers but networks, backup services, point of sale systems, and many other things. If you’re technology challenged or even just want to insure you have the most secure system possible, you should look to outsource this role.

If you’re wondering why you should be outsourcing any or all of these processes, read our article on the topic here. If you’re ready to learn which services may be the best for your company right now, contact us to see how we can help you grow!