As an entrepreneur, it is critical to know what to do yourself and what to outsource because time is finite, and there is no way you can do everything yourself. Although outsourcing will increase your costs, if your time can be spent more productively and profitably, then tap on other people’s time. So what jobs do we outsource?
Firstly, highly technical work should be left to the experts. Like brand design, or coming up with a food menu for a restaurant. Be acutely aware what skills you are lacking in and let the professionals handle it. However, you need to at least have basic knowledge, observation and sufficient feedback from the public when evaluating outsourced work. As a former creative designer, it is extremely sad to see the client destroy your good work with his personal taste. It’s not about personal preference, it’s about the public’s preference. Gaining feedback however, is time consuming and slows the creative process. This is why most restaurateurs themselves are professional or highly trained chefs and software company CEOs all know how to code. You don’t have to be the best at it, but you need the background know-how to define what is good. I would however strongly advice that you be extremely proficient with your business’ core activities to have maximum control and innovation. If you have a good idea and you can change it immediately yourself, your time to market is a lot faster than waiting for someone to complete this work. Speed and flexibility is what makes small start-ups successful
Secondly, simple tasks that can be easily monitored and corrected, should there be a screw up, should be outsourced too. Why pack boxes yourself when you can pay someone else to do it? As management, your job is mostly to manage and think of creative solutions. Do high-value tasks that the rest can’t, that is where you can contribute the most, not packing styrofoam boxes in a warehouse 10 hours a day. Initially the allure to save cost and do everything yourself is unavoidable, but as soon as your cash flow can support outsourcing, do it. Lethargy and stress make unsuitable environments for incubating ideas. With more free time and energy, that is when you can innovate best.
