Can We Really Outsource Everything?

by 79 replies
99


In short, NO.

The long answer is not so obvious.

As the Internet matures, we are finding more opportunities to outsource those tasks that we need to do in connection with our businesses.

Many newbies assume this to mean that we can literally outsource everything, but we cannot.

We can outsource:
  • Website design
  • WordPress blogs
  • Graphical Design
  • Programming
  • Link Building
  • Article Writing
  • Article Syndication
  • Blog Commenting
  • Social Media
  • Report Creation
  • PPC
  • Advertising
  • Order Processing
  • Follow-up
  • Mailing List Management
  • Mailing List Content Creation
  • Darn Near Everything

But there is one thing that can never be outsourced, and it is the one that most newbies want to outsource...

And this is where most people fail, who start an online business...

People want to outsource that one thing that can never be outsourced...

There are tons of people who ask within this very forum each and every day, how they can outsource the one thing that can never be outsourced...

They say, "But I want to pay someone to do that for me..."

They believe that because that is the one area where they are the weakest, they can surely hire someone to do that one task for them...

But this one task that everyone wants to outsource is the one that no one can do for you but you...

What is this one task that can never be outsourced?

You tell me...

I will comment further when someone eventually hits the nail on the head...
#main internet marketing discussion forum #management #online business #outsource #outsourcing #tasks
  • Success?

    Motivation?

    Ambition?
  • Maybe... making a WF post with the title "Can We Really Outsource Everything?" - I don't think you can outsource that one!
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  • I guess it's your business plan. Please let me know.

    Thanks
    • [1] reply
    • Direction?

      Decision-making?

      Choosing a niche?
      • [ 2 ] Thanks
  • Maybe the better question would be "Do you want to outsource everything?" Sometimes part of the fun is doing it yourself... cheaper too lol
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    • Cheaper but not necessarily better. I, for example, can't do any kind of design even if my life depended on it lol.
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    • Actually that is not a better question...

      When you have no money, your only option is to do it yourself...

      If you have the money, you have a choice of increasing your productivity by buying the time of others...

      Your time should be worth X number dollars... That number is based on the number of dollars you can produce in an hour...

      If someone can do a certain task for less than you can do it, then you should outsource...

      And if there are certain tasks you enjoy more than others, then you can outsource those things you don't enjoy...
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      • [3] replies
  • Are you refering to income?
  • The will/desire to get things done. Taking action.

    You can literally outsource every aspect of getting a website done and on out to the market, but you have to take the step to get it done?(take the step to get it outsourced?)

    idk it sounded good in my head.
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  • The idea, concept or plan behind a new idea can never really be outsourced, and must come from within.

    I suppose the simple answer would be...vision.

    Cheers,
    Colin Palfrey
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  • You can actually outsource everything, that's how big companies are run. You've got the shareholders paying other people to do everything from cleaning to CEO'ing. You can outsource creativity and micro management.

    I don't think you want to outsource your leisure time though.
  • [DELETED]
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    • Hmm...you can't outsource the 3 items I posted in my first reply :p

      50 posts, woot!
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  • Can you outsource customers? lol

    I mean.. you get someone to mail for you.. that doesn't grt. customers tho..

    hmmm

    edit: or maybe sells, but thatd be the same as customers..


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    • Yes, you can. Period. There are brick-and-mortar businesses that do exactly that.

      Also, the OP said he's referring to a "task". Things like motivation, ideation, and desire and that sort of thing aren't "tasks".
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  • Yes actually, you can.
  • I'm trying to outsource the answer to this question but I can't find anyone with a reasonable price.
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    • [3] replies
    • Business plan/model :confused:

      Just guessing....lol

      You really got me on this one....come on spit it out already.

      I just got my nails done and I'm sitting here biting them waiting on you!
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    • Well, I can't read your mind, Bill ... guess I'm not a Jedi yet. Yoda's gonna be so pissed. :-)

      But there are too very important things I don't think you can outsource. Colin already said the first one ... VISION.

      The second is PASSION.

      So what's your answer, Bill?

      Roy

      P.S. Just noticed the emphasis you put on one task in your original post. Hmmm, task. I've got to go with making decisions. I think you could call that a task.
      • [1] reply
    • Everything can be outsourced except responsibilty, one of the core skills of true leadership.
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  • Okay, I'll play

    Time management?
    Focus?
    Business model?
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • Well now, the one thang what can't be outsourced is goin to the potty! That thar is somethin you have to be doin yourself. You DO need an outhouse though!
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    • How about initiative? Someone has to get the party started...

      Even if you do manage to outsource everything else, you still have to do the outsourcing at some stage.
  • Banned
    Actually Christian you can outsource the things you mentioned. It is called hiring human capitol. I believe Colin is correct you can't outsource the implementation ideas of your plan because someone has to put together your concepts. Even if you don't know your plan fully you need an idea of how to make it work. Now with that said, I bet you my life the OP mean the one thing you cannot outsource is your marketing.
    • [2] replies
    • Sure you can. The company I've been working with for the past 4 years does that - they're essentially a marketing agency for a single client.
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    • There you go...

      In my mind, I had the one word pegged as, Leadership.

      But you hit the nail on the head.

      You can outsource:
      • Management
      • Business Plan
      • Decision Making
      • Marketing
      • Etc.

      Before you, I think Colin was the closest with, Vision.

      You have to have a Big Picture understanding of your business, and you must be able to see how each individual task contributes to the end goal of making profits.

      A manager knows how to make it work, yet a leader knows how to direct all persons in the process to get the job done.

      I think the person who inspired this most posted a question a couple months ago.

      He knew he needed to do link building and he wanted to outsource the entire process. And he wanted his Filipino crew to figure out everything for him.

      But his outsourced personnel would never know what kind of links and where to place them, until the person who hired him told him what to do.

      The person hiring the outsource crew must tell them what they are expected to do, and how it is expected to be done.

      And without that Leadership, all outsourcers are like a chicken running around with their head cut off.

      The outsourced crew knows they should be doing something, but what exactly are they expected to do? They are waiting for their boss to tell them what to do, and yet in many cases, the boss is just as clueless...

      If the boss doesn't know what and why, any outsourcing will result in wasted money and broken dreams.
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  • Bill I was thinking Leadership the entire time, I just wanted the game to continue >.>
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    • I did too, but I wanted to lead by example to show the right way to bait conversation.
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    • A lot of people come here and want someone to tell them what to do. In other words, they want a BOSS to direct them in running their own business. Maybe it's a hard mindset to change.
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  • If anyone hasn't read "The Leadership Challenge" by Kouzes and Posner, I highly suggest it. I actually use some of the concepts in my seminars. In fact, for one company last year I actually did a 9-month, once-a-month, four hour seminar series based on the book.
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    • That is such a great book. I used to help teach a course where we used it as the textbook. Still have my copy. Now I think I need to pull it back out and read it again!
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  • Banned
    True but unless you are a child star like the Olsen twins were, or like the Jackson kids are currently, everything cannot be outsource when you control your money. Even an investor has to make a decision where to put his money. Whether that be with an investment manager, a lawyer, uncle jim, or, individual private investments. If a rich person says, "my cousin larry handle of my financial stuff", then he made the decision to hand over his money to cousin larry who has read an ebook on how to be a financial guru. Ultimately, it is the rich persons money, and. he made the choice to invest it through his cousin.

    Someone said the word "decision making", maybe that is the word we should have used for the one thing you cant outsource.

    I guess it really boils down to what word you want to use to define to answer this thread. We all agree that you can't outsource decisions, we're just choosing to use different terms to express it. The term leadership wouldn't have been my choice of word either. However, the OP did a good job of explaining why that word was the word he was looking to use as an answer to this thread. I suppose we can live with it.
    • [2] replies
    • I do NOT agree. You CAN outsource decision making. Decision making and leadership are NOT the same things at all. A great deal of decision making is management, not leadership.
      • [1] reply

    • LOL

      We can outsource "most" of our decisions, just not all of them.

      Once we know what to do in context of making our businesses profitable, we can teach others how to do our jobs and make our decisions for us.

      But ultimately, we hold the final decision as to whose decision-making we will trust to keep our business running smoothly and profitably.
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  • outsourcing is great and 90% of my businesses are outsourced. that is why I have time to come in here and post *insert cheesy grin here*

    But with delegation comes responsibility. You still have to mangage, and make sure they are doing their job and you are making money from the activities that our outsourced. it is not an easy job at all. Some outsources know IMers are looking for them and can scam, and other just are lazy and do not perform the jobs you ask them.

    So yes it is good, it is still a bit of work to manage outsourcing teams of people.
  • I went to look for that gif of the sock puppet eating pop-corn, and got a virus attack.
    I'm not trying to find it again but in spirit I've posted it.
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    • Hey Colin: Just go to my WF Blog. It has been archived there for those of us who really appreciate it.
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  • There are lots that can never be outsource. And those things are not materials. They can be trust, love etc. You can never outsource them. Those things are spiritual.
  • Read "The Four Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferriss. You'll find out that you can (not that you should) outsource things you never thought you could.
    • [1] reply
    • That's an incredibly eye-opening book, and definitely required reading especially for anyone who wants to set up multiple streams of business income, because this is when time becomes a precious commodity, and everything that can be outsourced should be.
  • Creativity
    Motivation

    Well, I see I lost. But it all makes sense now that Bill has explained it.
  • I love doing things by myself and have not yet had the need to outsource anything. I will be doing that in the future as I expand.
  • Monetization. Plain and simple. you have to understand how to monetize to be able to put all the pieces together and outsource everything and still come up ahead.









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    • Sure it can...

      Think "Press Secretary"...:p
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  • Spot on TPW . Its really quite simple in theory. If you know what you want doing.....Do it! Outsourcers are there to be managed. If you can do this well you are onto a winner. I know im just repeating alot of staple stuff heard in business practice, but alot lose vision of this and get too caught up in individual processes. Just my 2 cents anyways

    Chris
  • According to Tim Ferris at The Four Hour Work Week, we can.

    However, as we begin to outsource everything, we would start to lose track of what is going on, surely?

    You become managing people who are managing your groups of websites - by giving up so much of your own initiatives, would that be a wise thing to do long-term?
    • [2] replies
    • Well, you'd lose control over the direction of your business, and if you outsource everything you'd be relying entirely on your crew to make all the decisions and to guide its direction. Unless you trust them implicitly, would you really want to do that?

      I suppose a lot depends on the scope and activities within your business - perhaps a relatively simple business could be outsourced like this.

      Paul
    • I personally always thought that Tim Ferris is full of it. It's a nice title for a book, but it's not feasible to manage, sustain and grow a business being so utterly detached from it.
  • I outsourced everything. It was boring.
  • Definitely I agree. Not all things can be outsourced and need to be outsourced. let's just focus only to those that can be.
  • The problem with outsourcing for backlinks or blog commenting is that you look like a spammer. I've tried it myself and the service I paid used the same comment on a gazillion blogs and it was a waste of time and money. I know there are probably better services who provide a more reliable service but I don't outsource that anymore.

    I'm still wondering what the one thing is that I can't or shouldn't outsource! So tell us already! lol
  • You can -and should!- outsource much of the technical part of your business (design, coding, etc) and much of the management part of your business (order filling, customer support, etc)... but there's one thing you could never outsource and that's the strategical part, or what's the same: the business part of your business :p

    That, my friend, is your duty as the business owner.
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