Outsource to grow your business

As a solopreneur, it may be time to sow, in order to grow.

Because there comes a time when to increase your revenue, you need to get help.

No, I’m not talking about hiring a business coach (though that’s ALWAYS a good idea :).

What I’m suggesting is that you start to outsource some of the tasks you do each day…

Many of which may take you far too long to do and are not your “high-value activities” — those things that only you can do to serve your clients and ensure you attract more of them.

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How to get started.

To get started:

• You need to identify the tasks that eat up a lot of your time but are nowhere near “your zone of genius.”

  • Think Canva graphics, video editing, repurposing content, and posting on social media, to name a few. Make a list — in fact, make it a very long wish list.

• Then home in on those tasks that, when outsourced, have the potential to provide the biggest return on investment in terms of impact on your time and your business.

• Next, create a monthly budget — how much can you afford to spend on outsourcing at this time?

  • To get comfortable with the financial outlay, remember that with each hire or outsourced task, you’ll have more time to focus on growing your revenue. Think of it as an investment toward that growth.

  • Come up with that number for your business. Start seeing positive results. Build from there.

• Find the right resource for your short list of activities to test out (more on how to find that resource below).

• Then, start small. Begin with a small project to assess compatibility and quality of work. A trial run will help you understand their working style and ensure your standards are met.

• To get the best possible outcome, communicate, communicate, communicate.

  • Be explicit about what you expect in terms of outcomes, deadlines, and touching base.

  • Clear guidelines help prevent misunderstandings and set the stage for a smooth workflow.

• Assess the results. After completing a few projects, you should review the results.

  • Are you saving time?

  • Is the quality what you hoped for?

  • Use this feedback to adjust your approach, whether that means changing providers or outsourcing more tasks.

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Find the right people for the right tasks.

This does not need to be a VA (but it could be).

Here are some options to kick off your outsourcing journey:

1. Get help on specific one-off tasks on platforms like Fiverr, Upwork, or OnlineJobs.ph.

Get a lead magnet or an Instagram template designed. Hire someone to edit a video — adding graphics, and creating clips to use on multiple platforms. Pay a pro to set up a client portal or project management flow in ClickUp or Notion or Dubsado. See how it goes.

2. Hire a summer intern. I recently had a conversation with a fellow founder and this is how she’s getting started.

She’s identified the projects and the day-to-day activities she wants help with, set her budget for the summer, and determined her pay rate and number of hours per week. This solopreneur has a community of friends with college-age “children” and found her ideal person via that community.

But as she reminded me, there are plenty of students at local junior/colleges who would love the opportunity to work in a female-led business doing interesting, important work.

3. Outsource your bookkeeping. This can lift a huge weight and save you time and money down the road.

Just get super clear on what you want the bookkeeper to do for you. Set up your bookkeeping system? Reconcile your monthly transactions? Invoice clients? Pay vendors/talent? Be specific and realistic. The fee goes up the more the bookkeeper takes on.

4. Leap and hire the VA. You may have enough on your list and have a good sense of the type of individual you need to help you week-in-week-out.

If at all possible, document your processes (standard operating procedures - SOPs) for the tasks you want to outsource before you reach out to a VA firm.

Armed with your task list, skills and temperament requirements, and SOPs you’re in a good position to engage in these conversations and have a positive outcome.

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And one benefit beyond the obvious.

When you document and streamline your operations, get the help you need, and focus on your high-value activities, not only do you set your business on a growth path, but you also build a strong foundation for your business to thrive.

If you need help with your outsourcing strategy…

Let’s chat.

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