3 things every business should outsource

When a business is very small and just starting up, everything is done in house.

Normally there isn’t the budget to outsource anything, and business owners often have to be a jack of all trades. While this is common, doing everything can prevent a business from growing. If the business owner’s time is being used up on tasks that are not the core product or service, then growth can grind to a halt. When thinking about scaling a business it is really important to consider outsourcing so there is more time to work on revenue-generating tasks. Here is a list of 3 key factors that every business should easily be able to outsource and provide some great returns in terms of time and money.

Marketing

Most small business owners dabble in marketing or rely on word of mouth. If it works, why change? If the business is to grow the enquiries need to grow too and that’s where marketing needs to take a more important role. No matter how skilled you are there will be marketing channels and tools that you simply won’t be an expert in there may also be a list of marketing services you hadn’t even thought of! Your business should choose to outsource your marketing. This is a big step but it frees up a great deal of time and can yield far higher returns. A marketing agency or a freelancer can create full campaigns based on what the business needs, they are accountable to you in terms of results, and they are highly skilled. Choosing to outsource rather than building an in-house team is also a very wise move. Teams can be highly focused, but staff can be expensive and require a lot of management time. A marketing agency doesn’t need the same level of management time, they don’t have holidays or sick days and generally will always be available.

Utilities

It may seem like a small thing but getting the right utility suppliers in place can make a big difference. Unlike marketing, choosing water and energy suppliers doesn’t eat into daily management time but it can save a lot of money. The best way to outsource this is to use a commercial energy broker. Companies like Eneco are able to negotiate great deals on your behalf, choose reliable and quality suppliers as well as help with moving to greener choices. What this does is make sure not only does the business get the best value for money, but it is also ready to grow. New branches, offices etc are all part of the normal remit of a broker so it’s just a case of letting them know and they deal with the rest. A lot of businesses may still be on the same energy deals they had from the start and could be missing out on some big savings.

HR

If you have staff, then you have to address HR. It is not only the right of the employee to be looked after properly it is also very important for productivity and growth. The problem with HR is that it is time-consuming, often not very pleasant and has to be treated very seriously. If a business fails to implement proper HR processes, they could be open to legal issues. In smaller businesses HR is usually given to someone as an additional job on top of their main role. This can work when things are very small but outsourcing HR as the business is growing is very useful. It means it is all done properly and legally, staff will be happier and more productive, and the company is set up for growth and new staff.

Of course, these things all cost money and that is a factor that needs to be considered. However, they need to be dealt with regardless so they cost money if done in house too. That cost is added too because of the time they can take up and because of the generalist nature of small business work they may not be done very well. Getting HR, marketing and utilities and supplies all sorted means a business is free to concentrate on what they do to generate revenue and grow!