The 5 most common outsourcing mistakes

1
FREELANCER TIPS

• The 5 most common outsourcing mistakes

More freelancer tips on www.freelancermap.com...
2
The 5 most common outsourcing mistakes

• Outsourcing can be great for a freelance business
  that is already on the right path. There are a
  lot of things to do as a business owner and
  getting a few extra hands on deck can help you
  stay firm on course. Outsourcing can save a lot
  of time and increase your productivity where it
  matters. Collaborating with others and coming up
  with all sorts of new ideas is a pleasant side
  effect, too.
• If you dont pay attention, however, outsourcing
  might have more negative than positive impact.
  You should be careful when selecting what, to
  whom and how you outsource. To help you out, here
  are five of the most common mistakes freelancers
  make in regards to outsourcing.

3
The 5 most common outsourcing mistakes
4
1) Not even considering it

• The first and biggest mistake most freelancers
  make is not even thinking about outsourcing. To
  help you understand the reason behind
  outsourcing, think about how much time you spend
  on tasks that could easily be done by someone
  else. Bookkeeping, SEO, social media and
  answering emails are just a few things which you
  surely spend hours a week on. Every week, every
  month and every year.
• Now imagine using all that time to focus on the
  core of your business - altering your strategy,
  coming up with new products and services and
  striving to get better. Outsourcing can help you
  focus on the things that matter most for the
  growth of your business.

5
2) Outsourcing the wrong stuff

• Deciding what exactly to outsource is not a
  decision that should be taken lightly. There are
  two aspects you should think about here in-house
  effectiveness and business value.
• The less effective you are at a certain task, the
  higher it should be on your list for outsourcing.
  If you only have basic Photoshop skills and it
  takes you hours to create just the right pictures
  for that business presentation, you are not being
  effective. That means you should find someone who
  can do it for you. The more valuable a task is
  for your business, the less easy and sensible it
  is to outsource it. You want to do the core of
  your business yourself.

6
3) Outsourcing to the wrong people

• Now that you know why and what you should
  outsource, it is time to think about who you
  outsource it to. Its not as simple as taking the
  easiest or cheapest option you find. You need
  people you can trust, so make sure that they have
  the experience and values you are looking for.
  Additionally, always do a test run, working
  with potential employees for a couple of days to
  see how the work relationship is in the field.
  Last but not least, dont forget about time zones
  and cultural differences and how they might
  affect your work.

7
4) Micro-managing outsourced work

• It can be very difficult for freelancers to cope
  with outsourcing. Often that is because we are so
  used to having everything in our hands and none
  other. Micro-managing work that you outsourced is
  a very common mistake that goes the logic of
  outsourcing. You dont want to be looking over
  your employees shoulder all the time and make
  sure they do all aspects of your work just how
  you want them. You want to use that extra time to
  focus on more important work rather than keeping
  track of every step that is being made.

8
5) Outsourcing work you know nothing about

• Outsourcing work that youre clueless about can
  be very dangerous. It is true that you should
  think about outsourcing work that youre not
  extremely good at, but that doesnt mean you can
  afford to know nothing about it. After all, it is
  your business and you should be able to steer it
  in the right direction if need be. You have to
  know whether the work you outsource holds up to
  your standards or not. If you dont know
  something about a certain field, dont be afraid
  to look into it and expand your horizons before
  making someone else do it for you.

9
Further freelancer tips available on
http//www.freelancermap.com/freelancer-tips Cont
act freelancermap.com Contact person Doreen
Schollmeier - International Affairs Mail
info_at_freelancermap.com Skype doreen.schollmeier P
hone 49-911-37750286 facebook
www.facebook.com/freelancermapInternational Twitte
r freelancer_INT