How Much of Your Small Business Should Be DIY?

Most small business owners have what I call the "entrepreneurial sickness," which is when small business owners try to do everything themselves. In the last couple of years, though, we've been hearing a lot about outsourcing. So how much of your small business should be outsourced and how much should be DIY? In this article, I'll cover some of the basics of which areas of your business should be in-house and which tasks you can outsource.

How You Should Always Be Involved

As small business owners, we often wear many hats. And even if you outsource, you should still be prepared to put on those hats now and then. Why? Because you need to know just enough about each area of your business to hire well. Plus, don't be afraid to check up occasionally on the people you hire. It's your responsibility to make sure they're doing what you've hired them to do. You can't afford for your business to be totally hands-free.

How To Hire Well

You need to know just enough about each area of your business so that you can discern when someone knows what they're talking about and when they don't. For example, I can't count how many business owners I've met who have failed to learn the basics about search engine optimization, and have ended up paying a company a high monthly fee to do virtually nothing. If you don't have time to learn the basics, then hire a reputable business consultant who can guide you and connect you with high-caliber professionals and firms who can provide exceptional service. Without taking the time to understand the basics or having someone on your side who can help you, you may get taken advantage of. Unscrupulous companies have no problem taking advantage of entrepreneurs who can't tell when they're being misled. And worse, you might lose customers and clients as these sketchy firms won't provide the high-quality service you pay for.

Accounting and Bill Collection

You can certainly outsource your accounting and bill collection. You'll find companies specifically dedicated to this kind of task, and they just might be better at it than you are. But be careful and make sure you do your due diligence. Make sure you're working with a reputable firm that will treat your clients and customers well, and don't be afraid to check up on them now and then with a secret shopper and an overview of your books.

Your Web Site, SEO, and Online Marketing

I'm an advocate of small business owners having their web sites professionally-developed. There are many reasons for this. First, a good, professional designer knows how to make the most of your "screen real estate" and should know where on your web page to locate the most important elements. Second, a designer will be able to make your web site look professional, and that translate to your business looking professional. Third, a pro will work a lot faster than you might, freeing you up to focus on revenue-generating activities.

That said, the web industry is fraught with bad designers who learned how to do their own web sites and think that qualified them to design for others. However, without proper training in basic design principles, efficient coding, and search engine optimization, designers aren't adequately prepared to create business web sites that can convert visitors to customers and clients. Add to that the many search engine optimization services that offer services that offer almost no tangible search engine benefits, and the web industry is a virtual minefield.

I can't even count the number of business owners I've talked to who have been duped into paying for exorbitant web sites that don't convert, monthly fees for search engine optimization services that don't do anything to truly optimize, marketing services that are simply submission services...it's frustrating to watch so many business owners be conned out of their working capital.

This area of business is technical enough that it can be quite challenging to protect yourself. And often, learning the basics won't help you as you may know the lingo, but not enough of the technology to know when you're being duped. If you want to protect yourself, but you don't want to learn about code and technical tricks, your best bet is to work with a qualified business consultant who can recommend a reputable firm to provide you with your web development, search engine optimization, and online marketing services.

Social Media

I absolutely recommend hiring someone to help you with your social media management. You can hire someone to set up the technology end of things or you can outsource the entire thing. I don't typically encourage companies to farm out their status updates, as your social media success is often based on engagement and getting involved in "the conversation" in the social media space. If you do decide to hire someone to manage your status updates, however, you'll want to ensure that it's someone who fully understands your brand and the "voice" of your company. Check out the work they've done for other companies and see how they've conveyed other brands in the social media space, and what results they've gotten with their social media work.

Customer Service

Customer service is easily outsourced, but make sure to hire a company that has agents who speak English fluently and who will serve your customers and clients impeccably. Conduct quality tests regularly to ensure that your customer service representatives are treating your clients well and serving their every need.

There are far too many tasks in a small business for one person to handle adequately, especially as a business grows and flourishes. Outsourcing is the remedy for the entrepreneurial sickness. Farming out these tasks allows you to do what you do best and to focus on revenue-generating activities, while leaving other, more administrative tasks to the pros who do that best.