Are you ready to outsource? It’s a question many business owners struggle with, and with good reason. Outsource too early, and you’ll be worrying about the costs involved. But leave it too late, and you may find yourself stressed out and dipping business standards.
No one can decide for you, as only you know if you’re ready to outsource. But what you can do is assess where you currently are. This will give you a better handle on if you think you’re ready. Here are 3 questions you can ask to gain some clarity and help you make the decision.
What are my strengths?
There’s no point being in business if you’re not playing to your strengths. Often, it’s those things your clients pay you to provide – things like coaching and consulting – as well as the things you love talking and writing about. You must understand what your strengths are. You can then look at how much of your time is spent on tasks within your zone of genius.
So start by asking yourself these quick questions – Am I working to my strengths? How much time do I spend on tasks that play to my zone of genius?
How much time do I dedicate to my business every day?
You need to be brutally honest with yourself on this question. For many business owners, the answer to this question simply highlights that they’re spending way too many hours in their business! And although there are no wrong answers, you need to appreciate that what you’re doing probably isn’t sustainable in the long run.
Let’s take a breath and look at how streamlining and automating your business will help. And, of course, outsourcing to bring some help into your business.
But also be aware, if you’re not dedicating enough hours to your business every day, you’re not giving yourself a chance to focus on your growth tasks, and your business will struggle. And that’s something that isn’t good in the long term either. So look at how you can get more focused and productive with your available time.
[If you’re already stressed at the number of hours you’re working, check out this recent blog post: How to avoid burnout.]
What are my plans, goals and dreams?
Finally, take a moment to think about your future. What are your plans, goals and dreams? If you’re looking to grow or scale your business this year, it’s only going to happen through outsourcing and building a team. Yes, you can start a business on your own, but it’s not sustainable to grow and scale without having a team in place. If you don’t recognise this, you may well limit your business growth.
Are you ready to outsource? No one can make that decision for you. But if you take a little time out to get clear on where you currently are, as well as your future plans, you’ll be able to come to your own conclusions.
Once you’ve gained that clarity and got some answers for yourself, it’s time to take the next step. It’s time to work out where your time is going and the different tasks you can outsource. I’ve created a resource that will help you with both of those. It’s an interactive workbook called The Business Booster No-Brainer interactive workbook. It’s free, and you can opt-in for your copy here.