Services small businesses may want to outsource

Many small business owners already know the value of outsourcing certain tasks. Yes, if you’re a DIY kind of person, you can shingle your own roof and fix your own plumbing. But many of us don’t have the time or expertise to do everything, so we hire an expert to complete the task.

Many small business owners also fall into this DIY category of people – the nature of running their own business requires them to be! Still, they have likely outsourced at some point already, as the vast majority of entrepreneurs have used a lawyer and accountant at the very least. With a little research and due diligence, you’ll find almost anything can be outsourced, if you have the need and resources in place to do so.

If you find one of the following tasks is taking away from your own business priorities, you may want to consider outsourcing:

• Bookkeeping: Many individuals and companies can provide this service, which can be narrowed down to specific tasks based on your needs: billing, accounts payable, inventory recording, payroll, taxes and data entry, for example.
• Technology: If you’re not technologically savvy, you may find yourself spending an inordinate amount of time trying to set up the technical elements of your business. There are outsourcing options for IT support, web design and maintenance, and fleet management (GPS Tracking), just to name a few. Within your specific industry, you may also find opportunities to outsource certain specialized technical tasks.
• Human resources: Certain HR tasks and processes are quite specialized and therefore may be worth outsourcing if they’re beyond your expertise. This can range from posting positions, screening potential employees, processing security checks, completion of employment contracts, short-term/casual labour or all of the above.
• Office space: You can even find outsourced office space arrangements via seat leasing. In a seat lease arrangement, you rent space and infrastructure from an outsourcing company. You are literally renting a single workstation that includes a chair, desk, computer and internet.

Almost anything can be outsourced, but remember not to outsource something just because you don’t want or like completing the task. Under no circumstances should you outsource what you deem your core strengths of both you and your business, otherwise you’re essentially giving away what makes you unique to customers.

For more information on small business outsourcing, check out my previous post which outlines questions you may want to ask yourself when deciding whether and what to outsource.

Rob Chernoff has worked with BMO for more than 21 years, and currently serves as a Commercial Account Manager based in Red Deer, Alta.