Who Are You Going to Call?

Outsourcing can be a great way to delegate non-revenue creating tasks. In an earlier post, I walked through how to create a target list of tasks to outsource. Now that you have your list, the question is, "Who are you going to call?"  Hint: It's not Ghostbusters!

I like to think of your outsourcing resources as coming in 3 categories:

1. The Firm

2. Solopreneur or Freelancer

3. The Website

Each of these groups has some unique advantages, so let's take a closer look.

The Firm is the original outsourcing resource. The popular show Mad Men centered around a marketing agency that worked as an "outsourced" marketing department for larger corporations. What do you get at a firm? People Power. Firms typically have a larger staff and a larger diversity of expertise. So, while you may hire a firm to build a branding message, they may offer you a host of other resources: website development, ad campaigns, logo creation,  social media strategy, content and management, etc. Likewise accounting firms not only offer "typical" accounting functions, but they may provide business consulting, employee benefits, etc. While some firms have met the virtual world; most still are brick and mortar. So, you will have a place to meet them, in person. You as the client, however, are paying for this diversity and the brick and mortar. A larger firm cost more to maintain, which may result in higher fees for you. Don't get scared off by higher fees. It is important to weigh out all pros and cons and determine your total return on investment.

Solopreneur or is a recently created word, combining "Entrepreneur" with "Sole."  In some industries, especially creative fields, they are frequently referred to as a Freelancer. The advent of online collaboration has allowed us to go virtual and this group of people has become an expert at it. So while they may work in a brick and mortar location, they may work from their dining room table in their pj's, or use a shared office/collaborative office space.  This is not to say that they won't meet with you face to face. They may come to your office... or if you are both work-from-home professionals, they may recommend a coffee shop. While the name says "sole," this does not mean that the Solepreneur works alone. They may have a handful of employees. However, since the staff is smaller, the products and service offerings is typically smaller;  there is a narrower range of expertise. For example, they may be able to help you re-brand, but not design the new logo. Likewise the Solopreneur CPA may not be able to provide the additional consulting and employee services that the Firm does. That is not to say that the Solopreneur will leave you high and dry. This group is typically well networked and may work with other Solopreneurs to provide a "full service firm" experience. At times, the Soloprenuer will get the reputation as not being as talented or skilled as the firm. This is not necessarily true. Frequently this group of people started their careers in a firm or corporate environment, but have now branched out on their own. For some, they are still working a regular 9-5 job, and freelance on the side.  Working with the Soloprenuer may look and feel different, and sometimes be less expensive, but the quality of work should not be compromised.

The Website is a fairly new option. It is the option that gives you hundreds of different options of who to work with. Some examples of these sites are

• fiverr - This sites claim to fame is being "low cost" stating that they will do a job fo $5.00 - or at least increments of $5.00

• Upwork  - (which merged with Elance last year) works
  

• 99 Designs - this one is a bit more pricey than some others, and it very singularly focused on logo design; where you purchase a plan, and they seek to have a certain number of people come up with ideas/proposals. Other similar "crowd source" sites exist, in other areas of business such as website design
  

These sites work a little different. Some have you post a job, while others have the freelancers post their jobs (it is like a grocery store of freelancers where you shop your job)  And you can hire them to do just about anything, from simple video editing, research, PowerPoint creation, editing, copyrighting, appointment setting/confirmation and everything in between. The website acts an intermediary. Meaning, you will use their email/chat functions to communicate with your freelancer, and you will pay the website, who in turn pays the the person doing the work. This option is typically looked at as a low cost solution and can be great for anyone on a tight budget. I have had jobs done for me for about $5 an hour. However, it is good to remember, that the low cost typically means you are working with someone internationally, where English may not be their first language. Make sure your project can be executed without tons of interaction and is simple enough cross any language barriers. So, which one is the best for you? That depends on you, your needs and your budget. The important thing is to evaluate options in all the categories and then begin the hiring process.