As a solopreneur, you probably think you have to do everything yourself. That is, after all, the point of the “solo†part, right? But all the planners and scheduling apps in the world won’t keep you on top of every task you need to do in order to grow your business. Between calls with clients, posting on social media enough to stay relevant, creating or finding new products, dealing with venders, and attempting to maintain some kind of personal life, it’s easy to feel like you’re completely losing your sanity. Fortunately, there’s an answer to that: outsourcing to subcontractors.
1. Subcontractors are also business owners.
When you’re looking for help with your business, you want someone who gets your business. Subcontractors aren’t employees. They do their own taxes, run their own books, and set their own prices. Depending on what you need, there’s often room to negotiate, within reason. They don’t answer to a boss and they know what their services are worth.
2. There is a wide variety of subcontractors out there in all kinds of fields.
In this new workforce where the majority of people have learned to market their skills online, nearly every field has some kind of expert or professional you can hire to outsource tasks you need done. Some things you can look for include:
- Social media graphics
- Social media management (posting, scheduling, & strategy)
- General administration (scheduling appointments, data entry, etc.)
- Listening in on calls to take notes
- Logo design
- Brand kits (color palette, font choices, etc.)
- E-mail cleanup and management
- Google suite management
- Organizing files into folders
- Client management & customer service
- Managing sales listings online
- Product photos
- Blog writing
- Creating info-graphics
- Writing a business plan
There really is no end to what a subcontractor can do, depending on their specialty and experience. Ask for examples of their work or offer to pay for a sample if you’re not sure.
3. Subcontractors work remotely.
You don’t need to deal with having someone in your home or office space when you hire a subcontractor. Most of them work from home or their own office space and they like it that way. Remember, subcontractors own their own businesses and that means they have their own way of getting things done. They don’t want to invade your space.
4. Subcontractors work autonomously.
Once you hand off your project and work out the details, your subcontractor will go and do it all on their own. You won’t need to check in on their work every moment and if you want updates, work out when you’ll get reports from them ahead of time. They work all of this into their own schedule and do it on their own, so you don’t have to do anything else.
5. Subcontractors are prompt.
When you outsource your tasks, you’ll sign a contract with your subcontractor detailing the parameters of the project. Be sure that everything (including how and when you’ll communicate and how and when you’ll pay for their work) you need to know is there and be precise about due dates. Subcontractors want good reviews when their time with you is over. They’re not your employee looking for a good performance review. They are their own business and rely on reputation to do well with the next client.
Become a Subcontractor Yourself!
If you find that your business is low and you need a little extra work, consider subcontracting out your own services and expertise! Look for groups in your specialized niche that will help you find ways to get into the business. There’s more than enough work to go around!
I have recently started outsourcing a bunch of things to subcontractors myself and that’s why I wanted to post this. I was starting to get burned out running a podcast, blog, social media pages, and real estate all while working my full-time job in the Navy. It can get overwhelming… I needed to get some more family time. The thing that took up the bulk of my time is editing audio and video for my podcast and YouTube channel. Outsourcing that has relieved a huge burden off of my shoulders and allowed me to actually enjoy some time on the weekend again. Don’t be scared to spend a little money to outsource some projects. You get to write it off as a business expense too!
Keep crushing it Average Joes!
