Whether you’re just starting out or have been running your own company for years, there are a number of small business functions that can be easily outsourced to save time and help you grow. Outsourcing all of these tasks will free up your time so you can focus on the most important parts of your business—making sure customers are happy and bringing in new ones.
Here are ten small business functions that can be easily outsourced:
1. Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing is an important part of any small business’s success. By outsourcing your social media marketing, you’ll be able to gain more followers and increase traffic to your website by posting updates regularly. You can hire an employee or outsource it completely.
2. Graphic Design
Whether you need some help with creating new logos, designing advertisements, or coming up with new concepts for signage, graphic design is a small business function that can be easily outsourced.
Local colleges often offer classes in graphic design, and students may be willing to work at a discounted rate to build their portfolios.
3. Promotional Items
These days, it’s important to have items on hand that you can give away to potential customers or employees during business functions. However, keeping these promotional items in stock is expensive and time-consuming.
By outsourcing your promotional needs, you’ll be able to save money and stay stocked up on all the items you need. It might even make sense to outsource this function as a bundle with other small business functions like graphic design and social media marketing if there’s a company that offers those services as well.
4. Payroll Management
If you’re unable to manage payroll for your employees yourself, it might be best to outsource this function completely.
There are plenty of companies that offer affordable services for payroll management.
5. Data Entry
Whether you’re updating your own records or those of others, data entry is a function that can be easily outsourced. Online marketplaces like Upwork allow freelancers to bid on jobs they would like to work on, and the best part is that you only pay when they finish what you need to be done.
You can also look into local universities that offer classes in data entry, as students who are trying to build their portfolios might be willing to work at reduced rates. Hence, it’s possible for your company to save money while getting the small business functions completed quickly.
6. Human Resources Management
When it comes time to hire new employees, outsourcing this function will give you access to talented individuals who are qualified for the jobs you need to be filled.
HR service-providing agencies specialize in finding employees for companies who don’t have the time or resources to do it themselves. Just make sure to take a look at their employment history and references before making a final decision.
7. Administrative Tasks
Having skilled administrative staff on hand can be a great way for a small business to run more smoothly, but if your company is understaffed or has a smaller budget, outsourcing these functions might help relieve some pressure you face each day so there’s more time left over for growing your company.
Marketplaces like Upwork allow freelancers with various levels of experience to bid on projects they’d like to complete, so you find someone qualified for whatever needs doing.
8. Legal Advice
When you have any questions regarding the legalities of a small business, it’s a good idea to hire a lawyer who can help you out. It might also be a good idea to hire an attorney for ongoing advice so your company can stay on track and ensure that everything is running smoothly.
This type of legal service usually isn’t cheap, but if it helps keep your company from failing due to problems with legality, then outsourcing this function might just be worth the cost.
9. Sales
If your company doesn’t have anyone whose primary job is sales, outsourcing this function could improve income and increase revenue because you’re able to reach a wider audience without having too much invested in overhead costs or salaries for a full-time sales staff.
10. Product Development
Whether your company needs new products or revisions to existing ones, outsourcing this function could help bring about more creativity and innovation without having to hire a huge staff.
Outsourcing is often the easiest way for small businesses to keep growing while staying on budget with less overhead. There are plenty of companies that specialize in each of these functions, so it’s possible for you to outsource what you need to be done at affordable rates with minimal fuss.
Small businesses are faced with unique challenges that can be difficult to overcome. However, by outsourcing certain small business functions, these companies can save time and grow more efficiently. We’ve outlined ten small business functions that can be easily outsourced, so take a look and see which ones might work best for your company.