10 Everyday Business Tasks You Can Outsource
In this post-COVID era, it seems as if the entire world is scrambling to get things in order.
Normally, we’d be in the same boat. But ever since we started outsourcing parts of our business, things have been different! We spend more of our time like this:
Outsourcing is when a business owner hires an outsider to complete a task, rather than doing it themselves. In many cases, a business owner chooses to outsource simply because they are short on time.
Now, you might be wondering how this is possible since you are essentially losing money by paying someone else to do what you’ve been doing for free. As any experienced business owner knows, time is money, and there is only so much you can get done in a day.
When you outsource a task, you are assigning it to an individual who is an expert in what they do. They are able to focus their full attention, time, and expertise into that one task. For many, outsourcing is the key to scaling their business to the next level.
Outsourcing for the first time can be quite daunting, but it is absolutely worth it! We can’t urge you enough to take that leap and do what is in your business’s best interest. Above all, it’s important to find an individual that truly clicks with your brand. Can they adapt to your brand voice effortlessly? Do they work well under pressure and consistently deliver outstanding work? Do you trust them to handle this task without supervision?
At the end of the day, go with the individual you are proud to work with.
IN AN EFFORT TO SAVE YOUR SANITY (AND GET YOU LOOKING LIKE THAT CORGIE), HERE ARE 10 DAY-TO-DAY BUSINESS TASKS YOU CAN OUTSOURCE:
1. BLOGGING AND COPYWRITING
If you’re anything like us, then blogging is likely at the top of your “I’ll do it tomorrow list”.
Blogging can be extremely time-consuming. And when money is tight and the pressure is on for you to bring home the bacon, blogging may not even feel like it is worth the hassle.
A successful blogging strategy consists of 1 to 3 hours of research, 1 to 2 hours of writing, 1 hour revising, and 1 more hour spent formatting and creating supplemental images. And don’t forget revisions! (A good writer is never finished after the first draft.) You may even spend an additional hour or 2 creating freebies and promotional social media posts to go along with your blog. That means you’re spending between 6 and 10 hours per week on your blog alone!
OR
You could save 6 to 10 hours a week by outsourcing your blog! If that in itself was not convincing enough, consider the fact that your copywriter may also be able to help with one-off projects such as website copy or a press release.
So, how do you get started with outsourcing your blog? Great question!
We discovered our trusty word wizard, Hannah, earlier this year at a Tuesdays Together meetup. She has been instrumental for our blog and business. Hannah also has experience in social media management, website copy, and brand strategy. You can find her here! Tell her that the Bryants sent you! 😉
2. RETOUCHING
As photographers, we spend a good chunk of time editing our photos. While we believe the secret sauce to a great photo is the person in front of it, we’re no stranger to the powerful effects of a good retouch.
It just takes up so much time!
Imagine what it would feel like to finish a shoot, then export and send all those photos off to your trusted retoucher. That’s it! You get to go home and relax while you wait for the photos to come back. You could even use that extra free time to find more clients or work on that thing you’ve been wanting to do for so long. Keep in mind that establishing a synchronous relationship between two service-based business owners can take time, but in the end it is absolutely worth it!
If you’re still searching for your go-to retoucher, we can’t recommend brands like The Image Salon or Upwork enough. We are huge proponents of outsourcing work to fellow freelancers, and both sites make the process super seamless!
3. BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
At this point, you probably know how helpful it can be to have strategic and powerful imagery on your website. But have you considered how beneficial it could be to have that same level of photography on your blog?
We’ve already talked about how helpful it can be to hire a professional photographer for your blog, but here’s the general overview:
A brand photographer will help you produce strategic, consistent, and high-quality imagery for your blog and website.
They’ll save you time and make you money because a cohesive and high-quality brand usually translates to a high-quality service in the eyes of your customers.
They can even work with your copywriter to bring you a top-notch brand and website!
In case you haven’t already guessed, we are our own brand photographer. If you like what you see, don’t hesitate to reach out!😉
4. SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY
AKA, number 2 on your “I’ll do it tomorrow” list.
By far one of the most time-consuming, yet rewarding duties of any business owner is their social media strategy. An effective social media strategy establishes your credibility, shows off your unique personality, and sells your services. It’s not to be taken lightly.
Social media management involves all kinds of planning, preparation, strategy, content creation, and analysis. Most algorithms also prefer community and engagement, so expect to invest some time and energy into social networking. For just one brand, social media management can take between 4 and 6 hours a week… on a good week! Even a strategy such as batching, still requires quite a bit of time and dedication on your part.
Still not convinced?
Another benefit of outsourcing is the additional perspective your contractor brings in. They have the advantage of being an outsider to your brand, allowing them to take that unique perspective and apply it to your marketing strategy and bringing new ideas and tools to the table that you’ve never even heard of.
In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re avid supporters of the freelance community. That said, it’s always worth looking into hiring an agency to manage many of your marketing efforts. If this is something you can afford, and it seems like the logical next step to up-leveling your brand, then go for it!
5. WEBSITE DESIGN
We’ve all been there.
The biggest step you’ll have to take as a business owner is deciding to start a business, and a website tends to be what makes that feel real for many of us.
But not just any ol’ website.
In our minds, a successful website is strategic, full of personality, and visually appealing. Missing CTA’s are a big no-no! Clashing colors just won’t cut it. And without personality, what is it that will make your brand stand out amongst the crowd?
Unless you’re willing to invest time and energy into creating a website on your own, we highly recommend outsourcing your website design! There are three ways to go about this:
Hire a designer. This is a great option for business owners who would prefer a more hands-off approach. A good designer knows what works and what doesn’t and will help steer you in the right direction. Some designers may also help write your copy, but in many cases, you may also need to hire a website copywriter to get your website up and running. Our great friend Marcel is an INCREDIBLE designer. Check him out!
Use a platform like Squarespace to help you build your site. Squarespace makes it incredibly easy with its drag-and-drop setup, while allowing for plenty of customization so that it doesn’t feel like a cookie-cutter website. We host our website on Squarespace and it has been a smooth process from start to finish! Squarespace even allows our copywriter, Hannah, to easily upload and format blogs to fit our preferred design.
Use a pre-made template. Sites like Squaremuse provide you with fully designed, fully optimized Squarespace templates. They’re beautifully designed and extremely user-friendly for both you and your website visitors. We used Squaremuse to help design our site, and we couldn’t be happier with the results!
6. CLIENT MANAGEMENT AND INVOICING
Oh yeah, we’re getting down to the nitty-gritty!
For any new business owner, one of the most challenging tasks is finding a workflow that fits your schedule and style. From onboarding a client, to ensuring payment, and even collecting testimonials, Dubsado has been a lifesaver for us.
Not only does Dubsado streamline the entire process for you, it also takes the weight off of your back by automating your workflow.
Pricing and setup may feel like a bit much at first, but once you’ve made it past that speed bump, everything is smooth sailing. Dubsado enables you to have a seamless and effective start-to-finish client process. There are other client management systems out there like Honeybook, for example, but we’re just speaking from personal experience!
7. PROOFREADING
Maybe it’s not time to outsource your blog just yet… we get it! Or perhaps you would just prefer a second set of eyes on your work before you send it off to the client.
Proofreading can be a lifesaver for many small business owners, especially on those days when you just can’t “English”. Whether you’re a solopreneur or a small business owner with employees, you might want to consider hiring someone to review your work before the client sees it. It can be nice to have that fresh perspective and, in many cases, it’s cheaper than hiring a copywriter who’s there for the entire process.
Start by looking for your proofreader on places like Fiverr or Upwork. Word of advice: once you find someone that just fits seamlessly with your brand, don’t let them go!
8. DIGITAL ASSISTANT
Ah, yes. Being a business owner IS overwhelming.
What if you could hire someone to take over all of those day-to-day administrative tasks that eat up so much of your time? You can!
A digital assistant can take over duties like appointment scheduling, lead generation, and even invoicing, leaving you more time to do what you love. In most cases, they are extremely organized, which can be super helpful for business owners that tend to leave their brain at home some days.
Better yet, they’ll usually work remotely, so there is no need to worry about housing them in a big, fancy office. You can find a DA on a trusted Facebook group, outsourcing platform such as Upwork, or by googling your industry + digital assistant!
9. ACCOUNTING
Do you know what kind of purchases you can deduct as business expenses? What about taxes? (Does anyone really know anything about small business taxes?)
Owning a business for the first time can be very overwhelming, which is why we urge you to consider outsourcing your accounting from the start. Not only will you save yourself money, you’ll probably pick up a few tricks along the way!
Quickbooks has been a huge help for us. The entire process is so simple and quick and we find confidence knowing our finances are taken care of.
After a few years, it may also be really beneficial to find a personal accountant for your business. They’ll know your business inside and out after a few years and be able to recommend the best financial plan for your business to succeed going forward. We actually use both Quickbooks and our own personal accountant. We found that this combination works great for organization, but we ultimately rely on our PA to make sure we have everything in order. State and federal taxes are just not fun!
Look at that! Yet another example of how outsourcing can take your business to the next level!
10. PHOTO SHARING
We thought we’d add this gem to the list specifically for our fellow photographers!
How do you share photos with clients? Through Dropbox? In an email? Snail Mail Prints? Boy, do we have the perfect solution for you!
Introducing, Pic-Time: an online photo gallery for professional photographers. Rather than explaining all the awesome features of Pic-Time (like marketing automation, printing, sales automation, and a clean and fresh gallery for your clients to view their photos in) why not check it out for yourself! Be sure to check out the link included in this paragraph because for each friend who upgrades to a paid plan, you will both get a free month on Pic-Time!
Being a business owner is no small feat. It takes a lot out of you. That’s why outsourcing has been such a blessing for us. The hours we save by outsourcing are more hours spent with our little family. And that’s worth all the money in the world.
curious to see how we can help your business grow?
Why not reach out?
