The Benefits of Outsourcing

Let’s face it – the economy still isn’t what it used to be. Believe it or not, however, this can actually be a good thing for small businesses. With unemployment at an all-time high, there are hundreds of thousands of highly skilled individuals currently searching for work, and many of them are turning to unconventional jobs like contract or freelance gigs. What this means for small businesses is an increase in available talent to tap into. If you haven’t already made the plunge into the world of outsourcing, here are a few benefits for you to consider.

• Cost Savings – This one alone should grab your attention, since as a small business owner you’re inevitably always trying to find ways to save a few bucks. Hiring a freelance provider to do a task or duty for you can save you a ton of dough because you can get the work done without having to pay ancillary expenses associated with in-house employees such as employment taxes and healthcare.

• Increased Reach – Hiring an in-house employee limits your talent pool to only local candidates. Outsourcing breaks down these barriers and gives you access to global talent with a virtually endless pool of skilled candidates to select from.

• Time Savings – One of the biggest challenges a small business owner faces is having to juggle a bunch of little tasks because, well, frankly it doesn’t make sense logically (or financially) to hire someone full time or even part time to do them. With outsourcing you can delegate these one-off tasks and have each of them completed by individuals on a short-term contract basis, getting them off your plate and freeing you up to concentrate on more important things. Like running your business.

• Flexibility – Hiring a team of workers to handle various duties in your business often means having to expand to larger (read: more expensive) office space. The beauty of hiring freelancers is that they work entirely offsite, giving you the flexibility to run your business from virtually anywhere.

• Competitive Edge – Since outsourcing gives you access to specialized talent that you might otherwise not be able to find or afford, you’ll have a unique advantage over your competition. Whether it’s hiring a pro to design a kick-butt website or assembling a team of highly skilled customer service experts, you’ll quickly find yourself standing out from the competition and so will your customers.

If you’re concerned about trusting someone on the other side of the world to handle important business tasks, don’t worry. Most of the outsourcing sites have feedback systems that let you get a feel for the quality of work each freelancer provides and some, like oDesk, even offer a pretty sweet guarantee for both contractors and employers. If you’re still not sure, consider doing a test project to get your feet wet and see how the process works. Once you see how much outsourcing can benefit your business, you’ll be hooked.

Labels: cost saving, small business, virtual office