3 steps to ensure outsourcing saves you time and money. Part 1.

Part 1. Deciding what to outsource.

This blog post is part of a 3 part series on outsourcing. In Part 1 you will be reviewing what you should be outsourcing. Part 2 is making sure the numbers stack up and will help you understand the ROI of your outsourcing. Part 3 is all about how you delegate and how to be a great client.

Does this sound like you?

• You are at the point where you're feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list
• You’re busy juggling multiple contracts or helping various customers
• You've stopped following up leads because you think you’ve reached capacity 
• The thought of outsourcing terrifies you because you think it's going to be more work for you
• You think that outsourcing certain things will upset your customers or devalue your business
• You keep putting off that fantastic idea that could change or grow your business

Take a deep breath and step back - this is normal. These are all signs that you've hit capacity (which is exciting - though I know it feels scary). It's time to use this pivotal moment to look at your business and decide:

• What do you enjoy doing?
• What don't you enjoy doing?
• What could you be doing more to grow your business?

Where do you start? How do you go about planning to outsource?

Here's a step by step process you can follow to plan out what and how you will outsource.

• Do, decide, delegate or ditch - list all the jobs that make up your business (and home stuff if that's impacting how many hours you work - which does for most people). 

1. Do - everything urgent or that you want to do.
2. Decide - filter out tasks and schedule them in at a later date.
3. Delegate - think about who can do something for you. 
4. Ditch - list what you need to get rid of, for instance low paying jobs or jobs that you hate. Use this process if you're feeling overwhelmed by your to-do list as well.

• Audit your business tasks - ultimately, you need to be working on your business, not in it. What brings in the money? What do you enjoy doing? What opportunities and possibilities would be available if you had more free time?
• Look at the home tasks - as Denise Duffield Thomas says "you aren't going to earn millions by cleaning your toilet". What could 4 hours a week more working on your business do for your business? Home tasks like housework and cleaning are often the most cost-effective way of freeing up your time to do the things that will bring in revenue for your business.
• Get an accountant and bookkeeping service - this doesn't just free you up, but it's better to use an expert than DIY your accounts.  
• Look at tools and automations that can free up your tasks - what have you been scrimping on that could help free up your time, automate tasks or scale your business?

This is the first step to freeing yourself up to work on your business and to do more of what you love doing, and what you’re good at!  

“To awaken your Joy of Genius, start with a commitment that’s just giving yourself permission to discover more of what your genius is. Out of that commitment comes a whole new wealth of ideas that will come forth.” – Gay Hendricks

Use this list every time your to-do list gets overwhelming or when you want to review the next stage of outsourcing. Outsourcing and building a team is an ongoing process that needs to be reviewed regularly. 

If you’re feeling stuck, why not book a free call to find out more about my The Online Business Blueprint Programme and 1-2-1 coaching packages.