Five steps to successful outsourcing

One of the pieces of advice we repeatedly offer to growing businesses is this: 'Focus on what you do best and outsource the rest.' It's advice that many Enterprise Nation members are following and here are the steps to taking it on board in your business.

1. Decide on what you do best

Ask yourself, what is the activity at which you most excel in the business, and most enjoy? Is it making the product, promoting the product or making sales? Decide on your strength and look to outsource other components of the business to experts in these fields. Any activity can be outsourced including accounting, admin, production, fulfilment, social media, IT, customer service etc.

2. Do the groundwork

Spend some time working on the task yourself so you've built foundations before handing it over to someone else. For example, if you outsource sales then have a ready-made contacts list and some open doors that the specialist can build on, rather than starting from scratch. This will make it more cost-effective for you and means that they hit the ground running.

3. Be clear on the brief

Having spent some time doing the task yourself, you will have a clear idea of the brief. Back to the example of outsourcing sales, if you've spent 6-12 months sourcing leads and making contacts, you'll have a much clearer idea of the type of work the specialist should do. The clearer the brief, the better the results.

4. Take your time

And take references. Spend time evaluating the specialists in the market and, if you can, talk to their existing clients. Do they have the industry experience you're after? Will they represent your brand in a professional manner? Have they delivered a good job for other clients? When an outsourced arrangement works well, the partner becomes part of your team - so choose them as carefully as you would choose an employee.

5. Let go!

Outsourcing means having to let go a little. Someone else becomes accountable for these results. Embrace this rather than resist it. As the business owner you remain in ultimate control but the expert will need their own space in which to flourish. Outsourcing can save you time and help make you money. Finding the right partner, on the right terms, will make you feel like a new and liberated person.

This is an excerpt from Enterprise Nation's StartUp Kit e-book, which you can download for free today!