A small business is unique in its needs and requires special consideration of the things that need to be done. On a normal day, you’ll probably need to complete lots of tasks to keep the business running, expenses under control etc., but what about those things you can't do (don't excel at) or don’t want to do?
A tip that could serve your business well is outsourcing the work you're not comfortable with, don’t have staff or time to do or even don’t want to do yourself. Give it to someone else – another company, or even a freelancer, who does that sort of thing all the time.
Yes, this way of working can bring you other challenges. Hiring someone, even short term, can bring a few headaches with it.
Of course you would never turn over the core of your operations to anyone unless you are completely comfortable with them or are holding their hand – but then that would negate the object of the exercise – saving time and perhaps money. Sounds like common sense but some people do it anyway.
When selecting a provider for a particular service or project you need to have completed, carefully evaluate them just as you would any full time hire. Check their educational background, evaluate and check their references and ask questions of them and the people they’ve worked for, about their motivation, skills, work habits and how long it took for them to complete tasks assigned to them. As part of the evaluation, always review examples of their work to ensure that this is a good fit for you both.
Make sure everyone is clear about the tasks that need doing and the timeframe for completion that you have in mind. Allow for minor delays, but stick as closely as you can to your budget and your time frame.
Never select a provider solely on being the lowest bidder. A good way to start is to throw out the highest and lowest bids, take a bidder from the middle of the range and then do your research. You’ll get better value for money and more than likely, good quality work as well.
Get It In Writing
This cannot be stressed enough. If they say they will complete a project within a certain time frame regardless of interruptions, unless you change that time frame, hold them to it and have it in writing as either signed contract or email contract.
It’s not uncommon, and often done without your consent or knowledge, that a provider outsources your project to one of their own providers. This of course means that they are trading on their referrals to get the job then they pass it onto another person who may not be as qualified and who gets paid less to complete your work.
Unless they specify up front that they have assistants, make it clear that they, and not another provider, must do the work they have contracted to do for you and that you will not accept outsourcing without your written consent.
Author Resource:
Monika writes professional articles on any subject, contact her at Gwbert Lady . This article on outsourcing was written for Red Hot Web Hosting Web Design, Hosting & Search Engine Optimisation