Outsourcers stealing your niche

14 years ago

First employee and business people think differently.

Second, you do not share everything with them to start. If you share more, make sure you understand them first and what you can share.

Third, dont ever share results or #s if you can avoid it. Only my first outsource person for years now has access to my financials for one of my main websites. Does not change anything.

Cheers,
Mukul

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Dan C. Rinnert 14 years ago

I have a writer that I've used for many years.

She's a good writer.

I've told her before she should start a blog or niche website and earn some extra income with ads or affiliate programs or whatnot.

But she's not interested in that. She just likes to write. She doesn't care to run her own website.

I suspect a lot of people are like that. Maybe they like building websites but not developing content. Or they like writing, but not managing a website. Maybe they like the creative end, but really don't want to have to do a lot of marketing. And, even if they could outsource what they didn't like to do, it's still not something they're interested in doing.

Could an outsourcer steal your idea? Sure. But, how many lucrative ideas have they already been exposed to that they haven't stolen? And, if they did steal lucrative ideas, why are they still doing work for other people and not making a mint on the idea they stole?
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E. Brian Rose

14 years ago

I did a lot of business with a guy from India who had a staff of about 20. They created some pretty amazing stuff, including Facebook apps, unique scripts, cloned scripts, etc.

I once asked him why his guys were creating all of this money making stuff for others when they could be doing it for themselves. He said, "Most people here just don't think that way. There is much more focus on having a steady job than being an entrepreneur."

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Hamza

14 years ago

Originally Posted by E. Brian Rose

I did a lot of business with a guy from India who had a staff of about 20. They created some pretty amazing stuff, including Facebook apps, unique scripts, cloned scripts, etc.

I once asked him why his guys were creating all of this money making stuff for others when they could be doing it for themselves. He said, "Most people here just don't think that way. There is much more focus on having a steady job than being an entrepreneur."

This is the thing, people don't wanna get out of their comfort zone, they just wanna get enough money to pay the bills and they will be more than happy ...

and when it's come to programing and apps, there is many talented people who can create outstanding stuff but they have no idea about how to market it or monetize it,

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JEL0221

14 years ago

Originally Posted by tman563

What prevents writers or other people you outsource to from stealing your niche?

If you have a real exclusive niche that no one knows about, and your writer thinks he could beat you in it, what's stopping it from happening?

This is actually how many people take their 'first steps' to becoming successful in IM.

A problem with many newbies is picking a profitable (and exclusive) niche to work in.

Also, many newbies do outsourced work (free lance writing, article submissions, etc.).

Put two and two together, and you can have a a hungry newbie that sees exactly what and established marketer is doing.

They can simply say, "Well, I know exactly what he/she is doing anyway. Why not just do this for myself".

BAM...niche exploited.

It's extremely hard to avoid this problem if you wish to outsource a lot of your work.

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TCrosby

14 years ago

While I'm at it, I guess ill ask you guys: do any of you have a trusted writer with experience in mentalhealth/anxiety/relationships/nutrition ?

Also, do you operate thru a site like odesk or textbroker, or do your writers interact with you directly thru email and get paid thru paypal?

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dbarnum

14 years ago

Any type of business takes work to keep it going. And outsource people have plenty on their plates already. Similar to people fearing ghostwriters who would "steal" their work -- not, outsourced (OK all) writers have so much of their own work they want to focus on, using yours is not a consideration, i.e. not something anyone would want to do.

Originally Posted by TCrosby

While I'm at it, I guess ill ask you guys: do any of you have a trusted writer with experience in mentalhealth/anxiety/relationships/nutrition ?

Also, do you operate thru a site like odesk or textbroker, or do your writers interact with you directly thru email and get paid thru paypal?

We help lots of Warriors here with content, and can write on your topics. See our Warriors for Hire link below in my sig and other links there for details, info, lots of live samples, pricing, 14+ pages scrolled of Warrior feedback and a lot more.

And feel free to email me at:

dbmovingahead @ gmail.com (delete spaces)

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nitin22

Banned 14 years ago

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Adam Nolan 14 years ago

NDA's & Non Competition Agreements. All my employees sign them.
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- Sandra Martinez 14 years ago
  
  Service is a business too.
  
  It is a different type of business, but business nonetheless.
  
  I have been running a service business since 2002, and it works pretty well for me.
  
  I like this business model. I like to be in contact with other people's minds and see how they think.
  
  It is like a doctor or dentist mentality... I enjoy helping people one to one.
  
  Why I don't steal things? Because I respect myself.
  
  Do I have my own stuff and run tests? sure. I do and I make money out of it.
  
  Why I don't do it a full time business? because beauty and clarity are important for me, and everywhere I look in the IM arena you have to get down and dirty to make it happen. I am not willing to get there, so I stop where i stop, and leave the other kids to follow the party.
  
  Sandra
  
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  Coloring book niche? I have a proposal for you.
  
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JonMills

14 years ago

Originally Posted by tman563

What prevents writers or other people you outsource to from stealing your niche?

If you have a real exclusive niche that no one knows about, and your writer thinks he could beat you in it, what's stopping it from happening?

Rarely happens, and lets face it, there is more to dominating a niche than hearing about one that makes someone money. Its the one thing most people are scared of doing and so they spend there time chasing down flash in the pan internet ideas.

Its called " Work "

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theultimate1

14 years ago

Guess you should just deal with it. This happens everywhere, even in the offline world. Why else would someone quit a decent $100K paying job and setup his/her own technology products organisation?! Simply 'coz s/he can do it, and do it well. Even those you don't outsource to can exploit your niches.

But yea, taking measures like a few suggested above can shield you for a few days, weeks, maybe months. One thing no one can copy from you though is YOUR touch in the niche. That's your unbeatable USP, and so is it that of your competitors. Hope that helps too...

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ivanadee

14 years ago

yup, I agree with Mukul
There is a different between employee and businessman.
It's about mindset and seemed that ur outsourcer will not steal everything for you because he/she just want to focus to write.anyway, still, dont give ur outsourcers too many information or strategy...

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Sandra Martinez

14 years ago

Originally Posted by ivanadee

yup, I agree with Mukul
There is a different between employee and businessman.
It's about mindset and seemed that ur outsourcer will not steal everything for you because he/she just want to focus to write.anyway, still, dont give ur outsourcers too many information or strategy...

Employees want a check at the end of the week. Service is a different animal.

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Tomwood

14 years ago

This is always a risk of course but it's fairly small if you're careful and outsource different aspects to different people. AND as already pointed out my out scourers are employees rather than innovators.

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~kev~

14 years ago

Originally Posted by tman563

What prevents writers or other people you outsource to from stealing your niche?

1 - I do not outsource.

2 - I only pick niches that I have first hand experience and working knowledge in. In other words, I do not have to do my research before writing a 1,000+ word article or filming a video.

3 - I produce my own content - article writing, taking pictures, making videos, I do it all myself.

Lets say that I wanted a video about a backpack in a remote location out in the wilderness. There are not too many people that have the gear, cameras, or means to make such a production. So I do it myself.

4 - I produce such an array of content, it would be difficult to outsource it.

And if I did outsource, it would be so expensive that I could not afford it.

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inter123 14 years ago

If the outsourcing is sent to a company employing a number of people, chances of this stuff are less likely: the employess are just employess, they just want a regular wage packet. As for the business, they've already got a gig going and a business model, they don't need to do anything else.

If outsourcing to a single guy/gal, who is chomping at the bits to get involved in IM, thats probably another matter. Its probably better not to find an outsourcer from the IM world, unless they are established, and have their own gigs going. I'd probably be reluctant to outsource to a newbie, even though I am a newbie myself.
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freudianslip27

14 years ago

This is just a risk you have to take. What's to stop a manager in retail from striking out on his or her own? What about a proofreader to get an idea from a manuscript?

I agree with what has been said on here, that it is simply a different mindset. Heck, look at the number of people that pay good money for WSO's with winning strategies, which they never put into action?

Matt

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niffybranco

14 years ago

Stop wasting time thinking about that and go and implemant your strategy.

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alexhunt123

14 years ago

Never give anyone the full sp - keep article writers separate from bloggers and backlink builders.

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jay walters

14 years ago

Most outsourcers are not entrepreneurs. Most like - 99.9%. Even if they are and have an idea of your system, it will take time for them to understand the process and implement it. Chances are, you may be way ahead of the ball game to begin with. Besides... they may not share the same niche interest as you.

They may be able to get a hold of your niches but not your marketing strategies and mind-set... which is the a critical tool for your business success.

The RISK TO REWARD ration is too small to make a big deal out the "Outsourcer stealing my niche" possibility. If you want a job - do everything yourself. If you want to run a business, get other people to do the job for you.

Outsourcers enable us to do more with less time.

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AylaPress

14 years ago

Better not outsource to me j/k - Just use commonsense and don't let any one person see the "big picture" of your operations.

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jay walters

14 years ago

Most outsourcers are not entrepreneurs. Most like - 99.9%. Even if they are and have an idea of your system, it will take time for them to understand the process and implement it. Chances are, you may be way ahead of the ball game to begin with. Besides... they may not share the same niche interest as you.

They may be able to get a hold of your niches but not your marketing strategies and mind-set... which is the a critical tool for your business success.

The RISK TO REWARD ration is too small to make a big deal out the "Outsourcer stealing my niche" possibility. If you want a job - do everything yourself. If you want to run a business, get other people to do the job for you.

Outsourcers enable us to do more with less time.

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honeyyoung

14 years ago

I agree with Jay. Most outsourcers will not think of stealing your niche. They would risk spending months building the business - investing their money and time while not really earning anything in the beginning, if they do. They would rather continue working and earn a steady income.

If you do encounter an outsourcer who will steal your niche, you have no control over it. But chances are, they won't.

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simonlcroft

14 years ago

I think it is all to do with the mindset, some people just don't want the hassle that comes with owning their own business, website, whatever.

You have got to have the want, the desire, the vision, the drive. Some people just don't have it and are happy just to continue as they are.

The same could be said for a small shopkeeper say (if they still exist) what stops their one employee from setting up in competition, especially if they know that shop is doing well? Absolutely nothing, but the chances are they don't have the determination required and therefore stay as they are.

Regards

Simon

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yesacpow 14 years ago

I think sometimes it is fear as well.

They know the niche is working well for their clients but they don't know that they can get to that level as well...

Also, most outsources would rather be sure that they have some money coming in rather than to wait on a website to mature and make them money.
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Philarmon

14 years ago

I outsource pretty much everything besides of research, getting ideas, building websites and getting the money

There is one simple way to prevent the "niche stealing" - i outsource all tasks to different people. A successfull website needs more than just a few articles. It is also about choosing right keywords, article distribution, link building, on site SEO, video marketing, twitter, facebook and so on. So even if the outsourcer would know my niche he would hardly beat me only with similar articles or similar link building - it's a mix of everything that a successful website needs.

As for the writers, my experience is that writers mostly concentrating on writing the content and getting paid for that. It is easy money unlike than putting it on some website and hope to make some money with that

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TheDebtEliminator

14 years ago

Most outsource workers just want a job.

Using a NDA's & Non Competition Agreements can help in some instances.

Get to know the person, before trusting them with too mush information.

Use different ones do separate parts of your work,

Beat Regards ... Ron

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InternetM39482

14 years ago

Honestly, nothing really stops them.

But having employed quite a few of them, I can tell you that almost none will even care for what niches you're going after, what you're doing, etc. They just want their paycheck at the end of the month/week.

In fact, I asked one of my employees why doesn't she start her own article writing business through forums, etc where she could potentially earn a lot more - her answer was that she's simply not interested.

I'm usually in quite a few niches and till date, I've never had one stolen. I go through a very strict pre-screening and screening process and once someone is selected, I stick with them, trust them and back them up.

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Oranges

14 years ago

Risk is always involved if you're outsourcing person is a smart one, but then as somebody said above that employees and business owner thinks differently.

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Mukul Verma

14 years ago

3 of mine live in the same city, I am thinking of maybe throwing a dinner together for them. Debating if its a good idea, thoughts?

One is a content writer, linkbuilder and third was a bookmarker, now assist me on a bunch of stuff and working towards a manager.

Thoughts?

Cheers,
Mukul

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sarafina

14 years ago

1. Make sure you diversify your outsourcing.

Don't let one worker write articles, make website, do backlinks etc. and have all the elements of your business. Have your writer write, have your website person only do that. Everybody is only aware of their task and that way if they do steal, they can't steal everything.

2. Remember people don't take action.

People don't make money because they don't know a niche. There are tons of niches right in front of peoples faces but noobs still struggle because they take NO ACTION. So unless your article writer is already an established marketer, it is likely they will suffer from the inaction and analysis paralysis too.

3. Stop having a scarcity mentality.

So what if they steal your niche? One more person is not going to make a difference on your earnings at all. If it does, then your niche was too small to begin with.

Now if this is completely unique then don't outsource. Take time and do the tasks to exploit that niche.

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GhWriter

14 years ago

Personally, i do a combination of freelancing and marketing affiliate sites. As a freelance writer, i always agree to not compete in their niche, and if they are in my niche I am upfront. if they want SEO articles, and i am already competing with the keywords they give me, I always disclose this up front.

It all comes down to how well you know and trust the people that you outsource to. Get to know them, and use your own judgement.

however, also remember, if you look for a reason not to do something, you will find it, but if you focus on reasons why you should, you will find that too.

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chewster

14 years ago

Non-compete agreements are a great thought but to tell you the truth most are not worth the paper they are written on since you can not deny a person a wage. I've found that limiting exposure to segments of my business is best.

Since I happen to work overseas and have been fortunate enough to actually travel to parts of the world where most people hire people for outsourcing (India, Philippians and Most of Asia) I tend to agree with many who have stated that they just do not think that way. Most are very happy to have steady income and if you are the source of that income they tend to be extremely loyal.

-Chewster

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pink sapphire 14 years ago

I used to work as a full time content writer, and it occurred to me back then that I could use that 'inside info' about the keywords and niches my clients were targeting for my own benefit. But I didn't, partly because I had no interest in stealing their ideas (for ethical reasons), and partly because I already knew which niches I wanted to focus on for my own sites, and I had zero interest in the stuff they were working on.

Really, this isn't just an issue with outsourcers. What's to stop the editors at EZA or other directories from stealing my keywords and article ideas? What's to stop the people at my hosting company from ripping off my sites? As others have said, most employees don't have a serious interest in doing this for themselves, and those that do will almost certainly have their own ideas (as I did). And even if someone does steal a few of my ideas, they still don't have my creativity, or my experience and reputation in the niche, or my knowledge of those markets. The idea is just a starting point, and since people who rip others off are basically lazy, I doubt they'd put in the work needed to make their stolen knowledge profitable. I don't think it's worth worrying about.
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shabit87

14 years ago

I think its their goals and the fact that stealing your info may not be simply worth it. If the bulk of their income comes from working with and for people like you and risking it all for a quick buck may not be worth it.

I once heard that fences to keep honest people out...in otherwords those of us with morals and a conscience (or fear of what will happen if we do bad) are going to try to do right at all/most times. For those that are determined to take from others, will do just that. All we can do is carefully select our workers and trust that their pure intent is to make an honest living doing jobs like the one we've hired them for.

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Gemini9 14 years ago

I think there's always that risk in any business. That shouldn't stop you from outsourcing or focusing on a particular niche.

Also, it keeps you on your toes in terms of coming up with new ideas and innovations for your niche market that'll keep you one step ahead of the competition.
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wvwritingservices

14 years ago

What makes my writers and my partners not steal? It's called respect. We have more than enough work and we know what it takes to be successful in Niche Marketing so we understand we don't have the time to engage it and keep up with our clients needs.

We have hundreds of clients we service every week and though we have signed the NDA's in the past because of our reputation nobody really asks for it. We have been in business for over a year and in the first year profited over 50k.

My advice is to go with a company that has writers as employee's so that the writers only see some of your keywords. When we get large orders or even orders of 10 or 20 articles we give it to 2-3 writers for the fact that they are not able to steal anything.

In fact I personally run full back ground checks on all of our writers and I have all of their info including ss#. We use US writers that have the same value and respect we have, I guess that's why we have been so successful.

So you can outsource but you want to do it with a company you can trust and preferably a Licensed US company.

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jamespitt

14 years ago

Some people are afraid of losing money for a month if they shift to having their own niche made. Outsourcers are mostly happy to receive their salaries only, So even if they have the idea to steal your niche. they can not.

Best,

James

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affiliatechick

14 years ago

Never heard of this happening before, not to say it doesn't though. I guess it just depends on the character of the person you're outsourcing to. That, and like Mukul said, not sharing everything with them from the start. Someone half a world away is still a stranger...

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Scott Kennedy

14 years ago

Originally Posted by TCrosby

What prevents writers or other people you outsource to from stealing your niche?

If you have a real exclusive niche that no one knows about, and your writer thinks he could beat you in it, what's stopping it from happening?

Somebody ALWAYS know about the niche you are in. I highly doubt that you are the only person in your niche. If someone enters the market, you do what any other business does; ensure that you provide better quality service.

Pretty simple plan.

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Outsourcers stealing your niche

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