“A business owner’s time is better spent growing their business rather than doing tasks that don’t directly contribute to growth,” says Bryan Todd, founder of ClickFunnels. “Outsourcing allows you to focus on what matters most in your business − growing it!”
Take an inventory of your tasks.
When you inventory your tasks, identify any recurring or seasonal chores that could be outsourced. Write down a list of every job you do regularly, then break it into categories such as ‘household chores,’ ‘career-related tasks,’ and ‘finances.’ Think about which tasks you enjoy, which you are good at, and which are most important for getting through the day.
Determine the most time-consuming and valuable tasks.
Before you start outsourcing, it’s essential to evaluate the most critical tasks of your business. Are there specific jobs that you want to keep for yourself? Which tasks will have the most significant impact on your productivity? Knowing what needs doing and prioritizing accordingly, you can decide how much time and money you want to spend on outsourcing tasks.
Create a system to reduce wasted time.
To effectively schedule your time, you need a system that helps you organize tasks and projects, set priorities, and keep track of your work schedule. Here are some ways of accomplishing this:
Use a calendar
This can be an online calendar like Google Calendar, Microsoft Outlook or a physical planner with monthly pages. The key is to ensure everyone in your office knows about the calendar: they must know when you have scheduled meetings and appointments.
Use a to-do list (or two)
First, create an overarching to-do list for the day or week by listing what must be done in order of priority. This should include items from all areas of your business. Next, prioritize each item on the list using numbers 1 through 6 (1 being the most important). After that, create separate lists for each area of responsibility, such as marketing, sales, or IT support, so you know what needs doing right now without having everything jumbled together on one giant list.
You can also use tools like Trello, Asana, or Todoist, which offer team collaboration features.
Delegate high-value, low-skill tasks to a virtual assistant
Outsource high-value, low-skill functions to a virtual assistant.
Before delegating tasks, define the problem or goal you’re trying to accomplish. You may want to set some tangible goals for yourself as well. For example, if you want to lose weight, your first goal could be losing 20 pounds in three months (or about two pounds per week).
Once you have your goals and have defined the problem or challenge, it’s time to delegate! To find a virtual assistant who fits your needs and budget, look at sites such as Aristo Sourcing. This reliable company can help you source the best assistant for the tasks you need help with. Once you’ve found someone who seems right for the job—whether it’s writing a blog post or ordering groceries—you can begin delegating tasks. It is wise to create an account on their service, sharing their offer with them via email or messaging app (e.g., WhatsApp).
Make sure the job is correctly conducted.
It’s also essential to check for quality and consistency. A good freelancer will understand the importance of producing a quality product or service, especially customer service. If not, it’s time to move on.
You should know precisely what the person is doing. You must have clear instructions and guidelines and regular communication with the assistant (via email or chat) throughout their workday. This way, you can ensure the work is going as planned.
You must understand how long each task will take. While specific charges may seem easy for a skilled professional, there are still variables involved: unexpected changes in direction from your end or theirs, lost files, technical glitches, etc., all of which can slow progress significantly (and even cause delays).
Maintain quality and consistency in outsourced work
Remember, your goal is to save time and money. Outsourcing tasks that were once part of your job description to freelancers means you won’t have to do the work yourself. You will then have more time for other matters.
- But what about quality?
- What about consistency?
- What about ensuring the job is correctly conducted, consistently, and on time?
To maintain high standards across all projects from different people in various fields (writing, design, programming), making each project like an investment in future success is essential.
Here are some tips for managing outsourced work:
Outsourcing allows you to focus on what matters most in your business − growing it!
Numerous tasks can be outsourced. The following is a list of the most common ones:
- Bookkeeping and financial management, such as payroll tasks
- Marketing, advertising, and branding
- Research, surveys, and data analysis
- Writing and editing (including blog posts, articles, and copywriting)
You can outsource these tasks to a virtual assistant or team of virtual assistants. The best part is that you will save time while significantly improving your work!
Conclusion
Once you’ve identified the most critical tasks, delegated them to a virtual assistant, and made sure that they are correctly conducted, you can set your focus on growing your business. Outsourcing allows entrepreneurs like us to spend more time making money and less time doing everything else!