Everything You Need to Know about Outsourcing

Business SupportSmall BusinessFor CreativesFor PhotographersMarketing

Jun 22

Answering the Many Questions I Know You Have About Outsourcing for Your Small Business

As a small creative business owner, it can be challenging to balance the various aspects of running a business, from creating new products, adding value to your services, managing finances, or even just maintaining your social media. All of these things and so many more can feel like too many balls to juggle. That’s where outsourcing comes in. Outsourcing for your small business can be a powerful tool to help alleviate some of these responsibilities and allow you to focus on what you do best. For some outsourcing feels like a lack of control but as most successful business owners will tell you, it was only once they started releasing control over those little things through outsourcing that they started to find expansion in their growing business. Outsourcing can be beneficial at any stage of your small business and can look different for each person and what they need support in. That’s why today I am going to go over some of those commonly asked questions about outsourcing and give you my experience and answers to help you on your way.

What is Outsourcing?

Outsourcing is the practice of hiring an outside company or individual to perform tasks or services that are usually done in-house. This can include anything and we will go over the “what you can outsource” below with your creative or birth business in mind. By outsourcing tasks, small creative businesses can free up their time and resources to focus on what they do best: creating innovative art and offering exceptional service.

Why Should I Outsource?

Increase how efficient you can be: Outsourcing can increase the efficiency of your small creative business by allowing you to focus on things that make you unique and amazing at what you do. Often when we feel overwhelmed by the other aspects of business our creativity and generosity suffer. We just don’t have a lot to give on top. By outsourcing tasks such as accounting, marketing, SEO, website design, organization, etc. you can free up your time to focus on the creative aspects of your business. And before you know it you’ll start to see more enjoyment in your work, creative growth, and likely higher productivity because the hours you are spending are on the things only you can do!
Access to Expertise: Outsourcing can also provide your small creative business with access to someone who is an expert in the part of your business you are struggling to manage. As creative entrepreneurs, we are often gifted with creative ideas and people skills but not naturally suited to handle financial bookkeeping. This is often the first thing people outsource. They need someone to handle their taxes or to help them save for the future like any other career. But outsourcing doesn’t have to stop there, with something you feel completely at a loss with. You can also outsource to a social media strategist. Even though you '“know” how to post on social media by outsourcing your social media management, you can access the expertise of a professional who can create effective campaigns and posts to actually help grow your business and nurture your online community.
Cost Effective: Outsourcing can also be the more cost-effective solution for small creative businesses. Instead of investing hours learning and trying to manage something you don’t feel expert in or risking doing it wrong altogether, it can often be more beneficial to invest in that expert. Or you may be spending hours doing busy work when you could be putting that same time into more financially productive creating or marketing. In those instances, it would be cheaper to hire any virtual or in-person assistant to help you along the way.
Free up time: For many of us entrepreneurs we are “on” almost all the time/ it’s hard for us to turn off because we know we have limited time and big goals to achieve. One of the best parts of outsourcing is to give you flexibility and freedom within your small business. I know none of us went into small business ownership to end up feeling chained to the tasks of everyday management. When we set aside money to outsource we are also opening up space for ourselves to find balance and more enjoyment.

When should I consider outsourcing?

Here are some specific signs that it might be time for a small business to consider outsourcing.

You are feeling overwhelmed: If you are feeling overwhelmed by the workload, outsourcing can help you take some of the pressure off. When we outsource we open ourselves up for more flexibility in our schedule and room to work on the things we feel most suited and gifted in.

You don't have the right skills: If you don't have the right skills yourself outsourcing can help you fill the gaps. There are people expert in a whole host of tasks your small business does on a regular basis. Even if you feel skilled in an area you may still benefit from an expert to come in and give guidance, coaching, or to take over. You don’t need to be an expert in every aspect of your business to be successful, I would actually argue that outsourcing is an amazing step toward growth and success because you recognize that who you are and what you offer needs to take priority!

You are not growing: If your business is not growing, that means there are often parts of your business that are lacking. Maybe it comes up with new and creative ways to serve your clients or maybe it’s finding clients in the first place. Outsourcing can help you focus on those new areas of growth or bring on that expert to help you go further toward your goals.

What types of things can I outsource?

This list could be pretty long because small businesses handle so much on a regular basis that could benefit from outsourcing. We all have different gifts as well so what may benefit you to outsource may not do the same for someone else. But I will share some of the major and often first outsourcing options I would reccomend.

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Bookkeeping, accounting, or financial planning
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- Know where you money is going, plan for taxes, and save for your future even if you see your business as a side hustle!
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Social Media 
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- This might include tasks such as scheduling posts, creating engaging content, and monitoring engagement. It can often be for one platform or several.
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Website Design 
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- You want to have a website that is professional and up-to-date. You also want it optimized for SEO. There are several ways a designer can help you and set you up for success.
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Customer and Email Support
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- Sometimes you just need help responding to emails and inquiries in a timely manner. A VA can be a great investment for this.

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Marketing Strategy
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- Beyond social media, you may need to invest in a strategy that supports your business. You may have ideas but enlisting the help of someone who know strategy can really help you identify the next important steps.
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Photo/Video Editing (for my photographers)
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- For many, editing is the least favorite part and there are excellent photo editors out there now who can mimic your style perfectly in order to free up more and more of your time.
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Organization in your business
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- Maybe you just need someone to come in and help you get efficient with your time and workflows.
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CRM efficiency
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- Having a client management system that works for you and looks professional can be a real game changer.

What sort of price range would outsourcing cost?

The average pricing for outsourcing can vary depending on the type of task, the location of the outsourced company, and the level of expertise required. However, in general, you can expect to pay anywhere from $5 to $100 per hour for outsourced services. Again this can really vary depending on “what” you are outsourcing and how much of an expert you want to hire. I wanted to share a few of the numbers I’ve seen in my experience as someone who outsources themselves and as someone who is hired regularly to handle different outsourced tasks for several businesses.

Bookkeeping, Accounting, or tax helpd - $30-100/hr or $300-$500 for taxes

Social Media Management - $200-$5000 per month depending really one “what” you want to be managed.

CRM Set up- $1000-$5000 for full set up

Financial Planning- $90-500/hr

Marketing Strategy - $400-$1,000 per month or $6000+ for one-time strategy plans

Virtual Assistance - $15-$50/hr

Website Design- $2,000-$10,000 for a website design and $100-$300/hr for updates or support

Photo/Video Editing- 50c - $3 per image but some do full galleries for a reduced rate

What has your experience been outsourcing?

I started outsourcing in 2016 for taxes and accounting help. While it was very helpful at the time I definitely didn’t put much time into finding someone who was most alligned with my needs. So over the years I have moved and changed companies a few times This year I decided to bring on a virtual assistant to help me get organized, automate my CRM system and help with everyday tasks of running a business. I specifically was looking for someone with skills in organization and helping me make massive projects a lot more step by step for my style of working. It has already done wonders for my business and all I can say is I wish I’d hired one sooner!

And for those curious about working with me,

*Social Media Support*

“Receiving these grids feels like Christmas morning to me. I just have to say that I LOVE seeing what images you select, the words you put to them, the organization. All of it is just so refreshing and feels like quite the luxury. You are very good at what you do!” - L. Eden

*Squarespace Website Design*

“As someone who had already worked with Hanna professionally, it was so nice to have that personal connection going into the project. Hanna was great about keeping things on track and responding quickly to all my questions. She often addressed issues I never would have considered when designing the site. I loved the way Hanna worked to capture the authenticity of my work and portray that on a digital canvas.” - G. Lazarus

Where do I start with outsourcing?

One of the biggest hurdles I see for most entrepreneurs is the getting started. They don’t know who they can trust, where to find them, and if the investment is worth it. My recommendation is to

Define exacty what you need and the type of person you want. This will help the search go much faster. Maybe even come up with 2-3 goals for outsourcing this particualr part of your business and bring those goals into your interview. You can ask they how they plan to help you acheive them and give you a reasonable time frame for acheiving them from someone more expert in the field.
Put some feelers out: ask your community, peers, facebook groups, or other businesses you trust to give you recommendations.
Get quotes from multiple companies or people: This will help you compare prices and find the best option for you. Some will be higher quality but more expensive while others may be lower cost but only expert in a few things. Be wary of hiring someone though for so cheap that they end up needing a lot more of your time to train and guide them. (this is specifically for fields like photo editing, virtual assisting, web design, and social media management. You definitely don’t want to be paying to add more work for yourself.