Outsourcing became popular in the mid 1980’s and has continued to be a major part of big business practices with even more companies joining in and utilizing this service.
Most recently, this practice has reached beyond big corporations and is being done by businesses of all sizes, especially Internet business owners.

Among the many tasks that are being outsourced by online business owners, the most common ones are:

• Customer Support
• Content Creation
• IT/Tech Support
• Bookkeeping & Tax Preparation
• Keyword Research
• Article Submissions
• And tons more

A business owner can outsource tasks such as these in order to free up their own time and grow their business.

You may be wondering why this practice has taken off in the online business world. The simple truth is outsourcing saves money. The monetary savings are a huge part of why most companies choose to go this route. However, there are also the advantages of not having to offer benefits such as time off, health insurance, equipment, office space and not having to pay income taxes for independent contractors versus full-time employees.

There are many other reasons a company may decide that it is time to outsource. The following are some of the reasons, in addition to cost savings, why online business owners decide to go the outsourcing path:

• Quality Assurance – When an agreement to outsource has been reached, the outsourcing provider has to strictly adhere to a level of service that should exceed expectation. The business owner has full reign on how their services should be carried out and performed.

• Experienced Staff – Services that are needed will be filled by tapping into a larger pool of people who have expertise in the field needed.

• Time Management – Since a lot of the positions that are being outsourced are time intensive, this will free businesses to focus on more pressing aspects of their company.

• Expansion of Business – Many online business owners start out doing everything for their business by themselves. Once the business takes off it reaches a point where it is no longer possible for the owner to do it all alone if they ever want to grow.

• Time to Enjoy Life – The majority of online businesses were started because the owner wanted to actually be able to spend more time doing “non” work things and making more money than a regular JOB can provide. When owners outsource work in their business they are also freeing up their time to do the things they enjoy doing away from the business.

As you can see, outsourcing has its benefits. Whether or not the time is right to start outsourcing in your business is a decision only you, as the owner, can make. Take some time to think about where your business is and how outsourcing certain tasks might help you achieve your goals, both business and personal.

• To get a helping hand with your business today, check out our Outsourcing Services page.

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Offshore outsourcing is a way to hire an external organization in a different country to perform some or most of the functions of a business. The development and manufacturing is usually done in the home country of the business and by outsourcing to a different country, the costs of running that business are reduced, allowing for a better profit margin. But, is it really worth it?

While many Internet business owners want to cut costs wherever they can, it’s important to remember cutting costs is NOT the most important factor. While not all offshore service providers fit this description, many don’t possess the quality of work an online business owner is looking for.

There can be many reasons for this:

1. Language barriers can cause many problems for the business owner.

2. Business concepts or practices may not be grasped by the company performing the work. This is usually because things are done differently in their country.

3. Time zone differences can be a pain to work with if they are too far apart.

4. Currency issues. Many times you save money when you pay someone in a country whose currency is different than your own, but not always. If you don’t have a payment outlet that automatically converts, it is time consuming to figure out the current conversion rate if you aren’t used to how it’s done.

5. Depending on the company, can you really feel good knowing that you’re paying someone pennies (sometimes literally) to complete work for you.

6. Many offshore companies will not do small tasks, which sometimes is all that needs to be done for an online business.

Let me first be clear about something. By offshore outsourcing we’re not talking about freelancers who live in other countries, but instead the big companies who employ workers (who sometimes work for very little pay) to complete the work you need done.

Some common outsourced tasks for online business owners include content creation and writing of various sorts which is why hiring someone from a different country to do the work can be difficult. When you write for your website, you want to write for your readers and if the writer you hire doesn’t do this correctly, you’ll spend a lot of time making corrections or editing their writing. Not a good thing when you’re trying to focus your time on other important areas of your business but can’t because you’re spending too much time going back over someone else’s work.

That being said there are Internet marketers and other online business owners who have found success with outsourcing to offshore companies. As with any other business decision you need to think long and hard before you make a choice as to whether or not to outsource your work to an offshore company.

The main factor behind this practice is the need to cut costs. However, as I mentioned before, quality and customer satisfaction are more important than cost reduction in the long run.

• To get a helping hand with your business today, check out our Outsourcing Services page.

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Virtual Assistants make up a huge portion of service providers online. Because they work from home themselves, they know what it’s like to build a business on a tight budget. This is the perfect scenario and a win-win for both parties. Virtual assistants need the work and you need someone committed to your business who is reliable and understands your situation.

What types of things can virtual assistants  do?

The talents of these assistants are endless actually, but here is a nice size list to give you an idea of the types of things you can hire a virtual assistant for:

Virtual Assistants – VAs provide a variety of services and many specialize in certain areas. You can find a virtual assistant who handles customer service, writes, and creates audio and video material and tons more. Many get paid hourly for their services, but are well worth more than their hourly rate.

Technical Gurus – From HTML to software creation there are tons of moms who love the techie side of things.

Blog Installations & Maintenance – This is a growing service with the emergence of WordPress especially. You can find assistants who specialize in not only installing your blog but even managing your content too.

Ghostwriters – From articles to eBooks and everything in between there are tons of assistants who have turned their love of writing into a business.

Transcriptionists – Many assistants build an entire business around transcribing audio for website owners. If you’re looking for someone to transcribe a report, podcast or interview, look for a transcriptionist.

Editors and Proofreaders – Tired of looking over every single word your ghostwriter sends you? Hire an assistant to do it for you!

Affiliate Managers – The services of some affiliate managers can cost a fortune. From recruiting and training affiliates to paying them and creating tools and resources for your affiliates, there’s probably an assistant who can do it for less than the big dogs and do it well too!

Copywriters – It’s no secret that many online business owners don’t write their own copy, but if you think paying a professional copywriter is cheap think again. Some charge in the thousands just for one sales page. Save some money and hire an experienced virtual assistant that specializes in copywriting instead.

Press & Media Specialists – If you’re looking to get your business noticed you’ll need some PR. There are virtual assistants who focus their efforts on just that. From press releases to social media outlets, these assistants can get you noticed by the right people.

As with anyone you consider outsourcing to, do your research before hiring a virtual assistant. There are unfortunately a few bad apples out there so ask around in your circle of friends and business partners for their recommendations. I’ll be willing to bet that many of those you associate with have worked with or currently work with at least one work at home mom service provider.

• To get a helping hand with your business today, check out our Outsourcing Services page.

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Technical Tasks – Technical stuff isn’t my best friend. As a matter of fact, many online business owners have a fear of the techie side of their business and for good reason. In one click you can lose it all if you don’t know what you’re doing. Save yourself from the possible heartache by hiring someone who specializes in this area to maintain your website or create software for you.

Bookkeeping/Tax Preparation – Most of us dislike the numbers side of business (unless of course your business is bookkeeping). Unless it’s the numbers making it into our pockets we just don’t have an interest in the figures. Save yourself a lot of heartache at tax time and hire a bookkeeper. Then when your accountant asks for your annual information you can simply hand it over!

Customer Service – Many online marketers have a hard time letting go of this part of their business, but in all actuality it serves more than one purpose. You no longer spend an entire day replying to or checking your email. Even better, you aren’t emotionally attached to the responses you might receive. When you’re that close to the action words can hurt. If you let someone who is not so vested in your business, you’ll only see the things necessary for your input. Let the haters have their say, now you don’t have to let it get you down.

Website Design & Maintenance – Do you have a vision for your website, but have no idea how to make it real? Let a professional handle it. No need to learn every little detail in order to keep your site maintained or even created from scratch.

These are only 7 of the many, many tasks that can easily be outsourced to someone else. Take a minute to think of the things you could use a hand with or just want to be relieved of in your business and start researching people who can help you get them done. Once you start removing things from your plate, you can then focus on the things you enjoy doing in your business – the things that an owner should be centering their attention on.

• To get a helping hand with your business today, check out our Outsourcing Services page.

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