How I Built My Outsource Team... An Alternative Approach.
Regardless of your experience levels, it's a well known fact that one of the most efficient and quickest ways to build and scale your business is outsource. Here's why...
So what's the solution? Outsourcing! Simple enough hey? Well, I soon found out otherwise.
You see, I have spent months and thousands of dollars trying to outsource work, but in the end, ended up doing it myself.
Here's the problems I encountered:
1- There are too many providers out there who overstate their skills and credentials.
2- Some outsourcers simply disappear mid project as they find alternative employment.
3- Almost 99% of the outsource firms I have used require you to pay rather large sums of money in advance.
Now this one is a major problem because you usually take 2 to 3 weeks just to get the preson organized, and if they aren't up to scratch, you've wasted good money and time. The other challenge I found with this set up is that the initial costs can be prohibitive if you're just starting out. And finally, I don't like paying people until I am happy with the work completed.
4- You have to commit to a minimum number of hours. And if you're just starting out, you may not be ready to commit to, or pay for 20 hours plus per week... no matter how affordable the hourly rate is.
After much trial and error... and frustration, I stmbled across oDesk.com. Much like Elance, oDesk provides detailed profiles and feedback f providers, so I decided to give it one more try.
The following strategy is based on how I used oDesk to build my team... on my terms... for the hours I reqire... and for very little money. I hope you can also use it accordingly.
Enjoy!
Ok...
I posted my first project for a casual VA and listed the many tasks I wanted done. To my surprise, I had 56 candidates in as little as 72 hours.
With so many well credentialled candidadtes, and not much work, I coniously decided that I would test a few out with smaller tasks. Then I would slect full timers accordingly.
This is where I had my AHA moment and my Outsourcing epiphany! As I began to look through my shortlisted candidates and their resumes, I soon discovered that most of them posessed different core skills. Some were better at SEO... whilst others were better at web design etc. So here's what I did next...
I broke my business down into specific areas such as customer service, seo, design, graphics and so on. I then hired multiple candidates for this position and assigned each one a very small task to complete.
So rather than commiting to one person, or to a monthly contract, I was able to get most things done for less that $100. I deliberaetly assigned tasks which I knew would be required again int he future, and that were based on the individual's core skill.
The upshot was that I found 3 providers at between $3 to $6 per hour which I still work with today.
But here's the real kicker for all you noobs and start-ups...
All providers are employed on a part-time casual basis. Which means you only pay for the work you need... rather then running around like a headless chicken trying to find enough work to justify your minimum monthly commitment.
If you only need 3 hours work on any given week, that's all you pay for, and as you get busier and your business grows, you can ramp up the hours and/or hire more personell.
The other great advantage of this approcah is that you get things done quicker, as you have multiple workers working on tasks simultaneously.
So here's what this approach can do for you...
Start outsourcing on a shoestring budget and without commiting hundreds or thousands of dollars up front.
Build a personal team of workers that are reliable and professional.
Quickly dismiss someone who does not perform,and replace them quickly.
Add to your team as required.
Employ real specialists based on the work you have available so that you are assured of quality results every time, without having to commit to minimum hours for each employee.
Bottom line: It's flexible, affordable and scalable to YOUR business needs.
wishing you best of success!
Sal
Your job is to be a marketer - NOT a webmaster!
So what's the solution? Outsourcing! Simple enough hey? Well, I soon found out otherwise.
You see, I have spent months and thousands of dollars trying to outsource work, but in the end, ended up doing it myself.
Here's the problems I encountered:
1- There are too many providers out there who overstate their skills and credentials.
2- Some outsourcers simply disappear mid project as they find alternative employment.
3- Almost 99% of the outsource firms I have used require you to pay rather large sums of money in advance.
Now this one is a major problem because you usually take 2 to 3 weeks just to get the preson organized, and if they aren't up to scratch, you've wasted good money and time. The other challenge I found with this set up is that the initial costs can be prohibitive if you're just starting out. And finally, I don't like paying people until I am happy with the work completed.
4- You have to commit to a minimum number of hours. And if you're just starting out, you may not be ready to commit to, or pay for 20 hours plus per week... no matter how affordable the hourly rate is.
After much trial and error... and frustration, I stmbled across oDesk.com. Much like Elance, oDesk provides detailed profiles and feedback f providers, so I decided to give it one more try.
The following strategy is based on how I used oDesk to build my team... on my terms... for the hours I reqire... and for very little money. I hope you can also use it accordingly.
Enjoy!
Ok...
I posted my first project for a casual VA and listed the many tasks I wanted done. To my surprise, I had 56 candidates in as little as 72 hours.
With so many well credentialled candidadtes, and not much work, I coniously decided that I would test a few out with smaller tasks. Then I would slect full timers accordingly.
This is where I had my AHA moment and my Outsourcing epiphany! As I began to look through my shortlisted candidates and their resumes, I soon discovered that most of them posessed different core skills. Some were better at SEO... whilst others were better at web design etc. So here's what I did next...
I broke my business down into specific areas such as customer service, seo, design, graphics and so on. I then hired multiple candidates for this position and assigned each one a very small task to complete.
So rather than commiting to one person, or to a monthly contract, I was able to get most things done for less that $100. I deliberaetly assigned tasks which I knew would be required again int he future, and that were based on the individual's core skill.
The upshot was that I found 3 providers at between $3 to $6 per hour which I still work with today.
But here's the real kicker for all you noobs and start-ups...
All providers are employed on a part-time casual basis. Which means you only pay for the work you need... rather then running around like a headless chicken trying to find enough work to justify your minimum monthly commitment.
If you only need 3 hours work on any given week, that's all you pay for, and as you get busier and your business grows, you can ramp up the hours and/or hire more personell.
The other great advantage of this approcah is that you get things done quicker, as you have multiple workers working on tasks simultaneously.
So here's what this approach can do for you...
Start outsourcing on a shoestring budget and without commiting hundreds or thousands of dollars up front.
Build a personal team of workers that are reliable and professional.
Quickly dismiss someone who does not perform,and replace them quickly.
Add to your team as required.
Employ real specialists based on the work you have available so that you are assured of quality results every time, without having to commit to minimum hours for each employee.
Bottom line: It's flexible, affordable and scalable to YOUR business needs.
wishing you best of success!
Sal
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