Small Business Savvy: Departments To Consider Outsourcing To Maximize Productivity
The world of small business can be full of decisions that directly impact the trajectory of the company. For this reason many small businesses have a family feel as everyone can see their impact on the business. At times it is going to be much more profitable to outsource certain departments as a group of freelancers can be much cheaper than bringing in an entire department in-house. Doing an honest assessment of the department when it has already been formed can be tough as laying people off is never easy. For that reason consider the following departments to be outsourced when forming your small business.
Digital Marketing
Creating a buzz for a small business can be quite difficult without having the appropriate connections. Digital marketing companies have just that as they have contacts with large publications and some of their staff actually write for these publications. This is an area where extreme caution needs to be taken as picking the wrong digital marketing company to outsource to can cripple a business. Unethical marketing tactics can lead to Google deindexing the company’s site which can stop traffic nearly completely. The best thing that can be done is to ask for results for a client the company has had related to yours. If they are willing to show results then do a test campaign, if they are not then run as fast as you can!
Accounting
Hiring an accounting department can be expensive but having a professional accountant is imperative. Most people do not understand the amount of deductions that a home based business can take. According to LYFE Accounting “If you purchased a piece of equipment or a computer, you may be able to deduct a portion of that as depreciation for the year.” This could include a computer used for business or other type of equipment directly used for the business. For a small business most of the time hiring an outsourced accounting team will pay for itself with all of the money that will be saved via deductions. While it is possible to use a tax prep website it is not your best option if you want to maximize the business’ profits for the year. These accountants will also tell you what to keep as far as receipts and other bills that are related to the business.
IT Related Departments
IT related departments often times have employees that require high salaries due to their myriad of skills in the area of technology. Outsourcing these departments can be extremely wise especially when running something like an online store. You do not want your site to go down during any time so having 24 hour support is more than affordable when outsourced but very expensive if hired in-house. Virtual assistants can be a huge help in gathering data for a fraction of the cost that it would be hiring even an entry-level employee. Take a look at reviews for these companies as you do not want to leave the livelihood of your business in the hands of anyone less than capable.
Shipping and Logistics
A small business simply is not going to be able to fund their own shipping and logistics fleet. Outsourcing this can save quite a bit of money and with reliable shipping companies customers will receive products on time every time. The name of the game with these outsourced departments is communication. A delay in shipping for a week can lead to losing a bulk of customers especially if a new product was just released. Drop shipping is becoming an increasingly popular where small businesses contact wholesalers then mark up the product with all of the shipping and logistics being handled by the wholesaler. This reduces need for inventory and has been extremely profitable for many small businesses in the ecommerce space.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing can be done for a fraction of the cost that it would cost domestically when sourced internationally. The product should not suffer in quality when manufacturing is outsourced and appropriate materials need to be used .For these reasons it is important to visit these factories as you want to make sure no corners are being cut. As the founder of a small business you also want to make sure the working conditions are up to par. Failure to do this can lead to a small business being associated with child labor or repulsive working conditions. Announced visits can be planned for so an unannounced visit will be best. Most small businesses will have a hard time recovering from this type of PR nightmare so it is important to eliminate this possibility through the visit.
Outsourcing can be a great way to boost profit margins and put money into other areas of the business. Take time to see what options could start saving your company money nearly immediately!