9 Services Every Scaling Small Business Should Outsource
As a small business owner, you may be tempted to take on every task yourself to save money. But there are many services you can outsource without sacrificing quality or your bottom line. Here are nine services every scaling small business should outsource:
1. SEO/Marketing
If you want to succeed online and grow your small business into the next big thing (or at least get enough traffic to make selling from your website worthwhile), you must hire someone who knows what they’re doing when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO). The right SEO professional will know how to write content so that your website shows up in organic search results for keywords and phrases related to your products and services-meaning more potential customers find you.
2. Accounting
Books are the lifeblood of any business, so you need to make sure yours are in tip-top shape. The best way to accomplish that is to hire a qualified accountant. A small business accountant can also help your small business with taxes, bookkeeping, monthly/quarterly financial statements, and more. If you find an exceptional one, they may even be willing to consult with you on an ongoing basis, helping your company stay solvent for years to come by keeping track of its numbers regularly-without charging hourly fees.
3. PR/Outreach
PR is another place where hiring someone who really knows what they’re doing usually means the job will get done better, faster, and more cost-effectively than if you were trying to do it all by yourself (not to mention, you’ll have more time to focus on the day-to-day of running your business). Whether you need an expert writer for press releases or a social media guru who can help position your small business as a leader in its industry, PR is something that most businesses simply can’t afford not to outsource.
4. Customer Service
Customer service is an area where many startups fail miserably-and it’s often because they’re trying to do everything themselves instead of hiring someone who specializes in it. The good news is that with the advent of new technologies and increased competition, customer service outsourcing has become extremely affordable, so there’s no reason not to hire experienced professionals who know how to keep your customers happy (and coming back for more).
5. IT/Digital Security
Hackers are a fact of life these days, and you don’t have time to get caught up in the daily grind of protecting your small business from them. That’s why you need an experienced information technology specialist who can manage updates, digital security, and other backend concerns so that no one slips through the cracks-and so that you can stay focused on growing your company.
6. Legal Services
Lawyers can be expensive, which is why many entrepreneurs try to handle legal work themselves when they don’t have to (or shouldn’t). But doing it wrong could cost you your business or even land you in jail. So unless you’re already an expert at navigating legal jargon and red tape, hire a qualified small business lawyer who knows how to get your small company off on the right foot (or help you fix some missteps you’ve already made).
7. Staffing/HR
Running out of things to do is one of the biggest problems for scaling startups, so if you can afford it, working with a professional recruiter or staffing agency is an excellent way to ensure that your business always has enough work on its plate. A quality independent contractor staffing service can not only handle all hiring needs, so you don’t have to worry about them, but they’ll also be able to provide qualified candidates through temp-to-perm arrangements-ensuring that your company’s growth continues uninterrupted while saving valuable time and money in the process.
8. Website Development
You can buy a pre-made website from a host of reliable companies, but you’ll never get the flexibility and scalability that an experienced developer can provide-which is why outsourcing your site to a web development agency, or freelancer is typically money well spent.
9. Strategic Growth/Marketing Planning
Obviously, as a startup entrepreneur, you should be spending time thinking about how to grow your business through sales and marketing, but taking too much time away from other responsibilities could actually hinder growth. That’s why hiring a small business consultant who has experience in strategic planning and growth management is a good place to start if you’d like help creating a plan for future success (or revising one that’s already in place). And when they’re finished, you can even let them handle putting your new marketing plan into action.
The world of entrepreneurship can be a daunting one. Between managing your business, marketing to customers, and all the other aspects that come with being an entrepreneur, it’s easy for small businesses owners to get burned out or overextended without realizing it. That’s why outsourcing is so valuable: you’re able to offload tasks onto someone else who has more experience in those areas than you do-saving time and money while ensuring quality work gets done on time every day.
