{"id":100,"date":"2012-10-08T10:37:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-08T10:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/?p=100"},"modified":"2022-05-26T09:05:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-26T14:05:18","slug":"9-outsourcing-options-you-should-not","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smallbizsurvival.com\/2012\/10\/9-outsourcing-options-you-should-not.html","title":{"rendered":"9 Outsourcing Options You Should Not Ignore"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Workshifting<\/a>

We can work from anywhere,
and so can our assistants.
This was my workspace in
the Stormberg Mountains
in South Africa.<\/p><\/div>\n

This article comes from my friend Stephanie Ward. She’s originally from Oklahoma, but currently lives in The Netherlands. She wants to help you become a more meaningful entrepreneur, making a difference in the world.\u00a0<\/i>
\n
\n<\/i>While this article isn’t specifically written for rural entrepreneurs, I think outsourcing is a small town issue. Outsourcing doesn’t just mean big companies sending hundreds of jobs overseas. It also means entrepreneurs contracting with other professionals to take on tasks from administrative support to programming and development.\u00a0<\/i>
\n
\n<\/i>In small towns, many of us feel like we work in isolation: we may not have anyone in our town or area who can handle a given task for us. Some small town entrepreneurs make their living by providing freelance or virtual assistant services through these methods or others. And several large rural firms specialize in “rural sourcing,” providing remote IT services usually to large urban firms.\u00a0<\/i>
\n
\n<\/i>I’d love to hear in the comments how you feel about this issue. Do you object to hiring help from outside the country you live in? Do you seek out other small-town or rural providers for remote help? Do you provide services like this yourself? Speak up and share your story and your opinion.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

By Stephanie Ward<\/p>\n

As a business owner the one thing that is a limited resource is\u00a0your time. You can make your life more fun and your business\u00a0more productive by outsourcing activities. These days it\u2019s super\u00a0easy to delegate both personal matters as well as business\u00a0activities.<\/p>\n

Almost anything you are currently doing can be delegated or\u00a0outsourced. Doing what you\u2019re not good at or what you can pay\u00a0someone else to do for much less than your hourly rate, is\u00a0draining the life out of you and holding your business back.<\/p>\n

The point of delegating some of what you do to someone else is\u00a0so that you can focus your precious time on the things that you\u00a0do well and enjoy and that allow you to create the most value.<\/p>\n

Delegation does not equal dumping. Initially, it will require\u00a0extra time to describe what you want done and how you want it\u00a0done. In the end you will save time and be more profitable.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nYou will have a more profitable business if you outsource the\u00a0things that are not the best use of your time, and you use that\u00a0additional time engaged in high value activities.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want you to get overwhelmed by all of the choices here.\u00a0So decide on one activity you\u2019d love to outsource and then\u00a0compare your options for getting that done. Start small, you can\u00a0always outsource more later.<\/p>\n

1. ODESK<\/b><\/p>\n

At oDesk http:\/\/www.odesk.com<\/a> their motto is, \u201cGet the right\u00a0contractor. Get the job done.\u201d They work globally and you can\u00a0post your job offer for free. They offer contractors in the\u00a0following main categories: \u00a0Web Development, Software\u00a0Development, Networking and Information Systems, Writing and Translation, Administrative Support, Design and Multimedia,\u00a0Customer Service, Sales and Marketing, and Business Services.<\/p>\n

Their key selling points are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Hire on demand – Build a flexible workforce based on skills,\u00a0ratings, and reviews.<\/li>\n
  2. Manage the work – See work-in-progress screenshots, time\u00a0sheets, and daily logs.<\/li>\n
  3. Pay with ease – Rest assured with safe global payments and\u00a0The oDesk Work Guarantee.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    2. ELANCE<\/b><\/p>\n

    Another well-known option is Elance http:\/\/www.elance.com<\/a>. They\u00a0work globally and you can post your job offer for free. Most\u00a0Popular Skills: Programmers, Designers, Writers, Admins,\u00a0Marketers, Consultants, Accountants, and Mobile Developers. They\u00a0boast over 1,800,000 rated and tested professionals to choose from\u00a0and highlight the following benefits:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Get candidates right away<\/li>\n
    2. Approve work before payment<\/li>\n
    3. Staff up and down as needed<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      3. FANCY HANDS<\/b><\/p>\n

      Fancy Hands http:\/\/www.fancyhands.com<\/a> is available worldwide\u00a0only in the English language and assistants are located all over\u00a0the United States. You pay per request, not per hour. They offer\u00a0a subscription based model, you pay monthly. See all packages on their home page.<\/p>\n

      4. GET FRIDAY\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

      Get Friday http:\/\/www.getfriday.com<\/a> works around the clock 24\/7\u00a0and caters to busy individuals and small businesses in 30 odd\u00a0countries across different time zones. You can choose from\u00a0monthly plans or task based plans. They offer the following\u00a0service categories: Calendar Management, Customer Interaction\u00a0Management, Home Assistance, Online Research, Purchases, Phone,\u00a0Travel, Data Entry, Database Management, Follow Up and Reminder,\u00a0Secretarial, and Personal. For more detail visit this page:\u00a0https:\/\/www.getfriday.com\/?module=services&action=getfridaycanhandle<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      5. BRICKWORK INDIA<\/b><\/p>\n

      Brickwork India http:\/\/www.brickworkindia.com\/virtual-assistant\/<\/a> offers services in Remote Executive Assistance (Business Support\u00a0Services, Accounting and Taxation Support), Research and Consulting\u00a0(Business Research, Investment Research, Healthcare Research,\u00a0Procurement Consulting India Strategy Assessment, Legal\u00a0Services, Content Development), and IT Services (Graphics and Animation, Opensource and Microsoft Technology, Internet Marketing\u00a0Services).<\/p>\n

      6. ASK SUNDAY<\/b><\/p>\n

      Ask Sunday http:\/\/www.asksunday.com\/<\/a> does currently service\u00a0members from around the world but the requests must be\u00a0English-based (they can’t call a shop in Germany and speak to\u00a0them in German). Request Types include: Data Analysis\/Entry,\u00a0Internet\/database research, Outbound calling, Social media\u00a0management, Real-time remote login for technical and general\u00a0support, Continuous processes, Document Editing, Uploading\u00a0content onto websites, Managing online postings, Email\u00a0correspondence, and Miscellaneous \u2013 get creative. They are open\u00a024\/7 and offer a free trial. Services are sold in blocks of\u00a0hours per month, more on this\u00a0http:\/\/www.asksunday.com\/dedicatedplanspricing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      7. INTERNATIONAL VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS ASSOCIATION<\/b><\/p>\n

      International Virtual Assistants Association http:\/\/www.ivaa.org<\/a>\u00a0offers a directory where you can search to see if there is\u00a0someone in your area.<\/p>\n

      8. TASK RABBIT<\/b><\/p>\n

      Task Rabbit http:\/\/www.taskrabbit.com<\/a> is currently only\u00a0available in The United States: Boston, San Francisco Bay Area,\u00a0San Antonio, Austin, Chicago, Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles and Orange County, New York City and soon it will be in the United\u00a0Kingdom. Task Rabbit offers many specific services under each of\u00a0these main categories: Delivery, House Chores, Shopping, Office\u00a0Help, Handyman, Moving Help, Virtual Assistance, Event Help, and\u00a0Skilled. There are even more categories, see the complete list\u00a0here: https:\/\/www.taskrabbit.com\/all\/tags<\/a>. For more on how it\u00a0works see this page https:\/\/www.taskrabbit.com\/how-it-works<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      9. NICHE PROVIDERS<\/b><\/p>\n

      You can also search for specialized niche providers related to your industry. For example, a wonderful friend of mine is the owner of NGO Office Support http:\/\/www.ngoofficesupport.com<\/a>. As\u00a0the name communicates, she provides office support for NGO\u2019s and\u00a0she offers this virtually and in person.<\/p>\n

      I hope I\u2019ve convinced you that there are a multitude of\u00a0effective options for outsourcing some of your workload. Make\u00a0the decision today to choose one activity to delegate, take\u00a0action to find the right partner, and get it done. That way\u00a0you\u2019ll have more time to focus on the activities that create\u00a0more value for your business.<\/p>\n

      \u00a9 Stephanie Ward, used by permission.<\/p>\n

      Stephanie Ward is\u00a0the Marketing Coach for Entrepreneurs who want to create a meaningful and\u00a0prosperous businesses. Grab your FREE copy of the special report \u20197 Steps to\u00a0Attract More Clients in Less Time\u2019 plus business building tips, at\u00a0http:\/\/www.fireflycoaching.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

      MORE RESOURCES:\u00a0<\/b>
      \nA couple of articles we’ve published before can help you with the question of hiring or contracting with an assistant.<\/p>\n