Doing everything vs. Outsourcing for your business
A lot of people don’t outsource because they think that a job will always get done the way they like it when they do it themselves.
There are so many horror stories online about outsourced jobs or tasks that went horribly wrong. A lot of people are so scared to outsource for fear that the quality of work will suffer. Some people are dead set against outsourcing because they think that a lot of communication issues will arise.
The list of reasons why people choose not to outsource goes on and on. We have to remember that for every bad story you read on Reddit, there are good stories out there that you probably just don’t read about. In the same way a lot of people are quick to post negative reviews online but fail to post good reviews about a product they like.
For every ‘con’ in your list, there are actually workarounds to that. If you’re a small business owner or entrepreneur and you’ve been thinking about outsourcing, now’s the time to just do it.
Language or communication barriers
If you think that it’s easier to work 60-hour weeks instead of just figuring out the right way to communicate with offshore talent, then you’ll have a hard time growing your brand at a quicker pace. If you can spend a few hours creating a system for communications (whether it’s through a combination of WhatsApp and Trello or whatever is easier for you), then you’ve already done a great deal to prevent any miscommunication issues from arising.
Remember that communication is a two-way street. For every person who doesn’t want to outsource their business citing communication issues, there are actually workarounds that they haven’t tried yet.
At Taotter, we hire not just for excellent English (or Arabic) skills but also for the ability to communicate effectively. Communicating properly is one thing but doing it in a way that actually prevents future mishaps from happening is another.
Tone, frequency, and expectations of both parties are equally important. These are the things that a lot of people and companies get wrong, even if they’re working in the same time zone and in the same office. Having clear expectations of how communication processes should happen is an excellent first step.
Creating the right system
Whether it’s creating the right onboarding system or hiring system, when you have SOPs and systems in place, it’s easy to address any issues like deliverables and deadlines. When the right system is in place, it’s easy to see what things can be improved on and what systems are redundant.
Hiring experts in their field
A lot of people prefer the DIY route because they think that if they ‘pay peanuts, they’ll get monkeys’ so to speak. This is not the right mentality when hiring freelancers. This is a common misconception. Sure, you want to save money. But at the same time, if you hire people at the rate that they’re happy with, you also get people who want to work with you long-term and create projects that you’d be proud to put your name on. At the end of the day, if you hire a freelancer at a rate that you’re both happy with, then you’re not going to get someone who will slack off or just outsource what they’re supposed to be doing themselves.
At Taotter, we have a portal for hiring freelancers for specific jobs and they themselves set their own rates. This way, you’re both happy. You can choose from different freelancers who advertise the rates they’re happy with and you also get to pick who you’ll work with. It’s truly possible to get the best of both worlds.
Having the right project and expectations
When you’re working with freelancers, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and just find one who will do everything for you. The key to successful hiring is to find the right project for the right person and to set the right expectations.
If you expect to pay a small amount and require a quick turnaround time and the person you’re hiring is already an expert at what they do, there’s a high chance that something will go wrong along the way. Figuring out the right project to outsource and who to outsource it to is the key. And yes, this can be tiresome to deal with.
That’s why Taotter was created — to help frazzled business owners and startup CEOs focus on what they do best. Instead, we’ll be the ones to match up your projects with the right hustlers or freelancers.
If you’re interested in learning more about outsourcing tasks to the right person, schedule a call or send us an email. If you prefer to send us a message on WhatsApp, that works too.