As a solopreneur, it can be hard to know when you’re ready to outsource or hire a team. You’re so used to doing everything yourself, and the idea of bringing someone else on board can be absolutely terrifying!
However, it can help to know that other solopreneurs are in the same boat: in fact, 24% of small businesses outsource to increase the efficiency of their business.
So, when is it time to outsource? What are the signs that business outsourcing or hiring a team could be the right next step for you?
Let’s take a look!
5 Signs That You’re Ready to Outsource
1. Too Many Clients, Not Enough Time
Perhaps the most obvious sign that you're ready to outsource is that you have too many clients and not enough time.
Do you find yourself overwhelmed by your workload or by client requests? Does it feel like you’re working 24/7 and still not getting ahead?
Or do you actually have to turn away new clients, simply because you don’t have the time or energy?
This is a surefire sign that outsourcing is in the cards for you.
2. Someone Else Could Do it Better
Let’s face it: We can’t be the best at everything.
If there are tasks within your business that you hate — or that you know you’re not good at — you’re ready to outsource those tasks. In other words, if someone else can do it better, let them!
Find talented people who excel at those tasks, and then let them do their thing. Steve Jobs once said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”
Steve Jobs once said, “It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.”Click To Tweet
So, hire amazing people, let them do their thing, and then focus on the parts of your business you love and that you’re actually good at!
3. Someone Else Could Do it Cheaper
You may think that doing “all the things” yourself is saving you money, but you are dead wrong. The truth is that your time is worth something. And if you're spending time doing $20 an hour tasks instead of working with $100 an hour clients, then you're actually losing money.
Stop spending hours and hours creating social media graphics, or writing blog posts, responding to customer service requests or anything else that is taking you away from revenue-generating tasks like finding new clients and creating new products.
Instead, hire someone who can do the job faster than you and for less money than you can make.
Hiring someone who can do the work for less than it's costing you is a definite sign that you’re ready to outsource.
Why continue to spend WAY too much time on tasks someone else can probably do in half the time and at half the cost? Outsourcing these things will allow YOU to make the big bucks doing client work or product creation!
4. Your Business Growth has Stalled
As a solopreneur, there’s really only so far you can go with your business. There will come a point when you need to outsource or hire a team in order to reach the next stage of growth.
And growth doesn’t happen on its own. It requires you to be actively working on new products or services, finding new clients, and getting out there and selling—all of which takes a tremendous amount of time.
If your sales have plateaued, and you’re ready to really accelerate your growth, this is a huge sign that it’s time to outsource!
5. You’re Not Finding Joy in your Business Anymore
If you're just no longer finding joy in your business, then it's time to stop and take a hard look at what you're doing and why you're doing it. While there could be many reasons this to happen, a common culprit can be burnout.
If you frequently find yourself dreading each new workday, or feeling overwhelmed by the amount of work you need to do, it could be time to bring someone else on board.
As mentioned above, I recommend handing over the tasks you know you’re not good at, or that you don’t enjoy so you can focus on serving your clients and doing the work that you actually love to do.
It’s Time to Outsource. What’s Next?
If you’ve decided you’re ready to outsource or build a team, you might be wondering what’s next.
I’ve created additional posts that address some of the questions you may have:
- Wondering what to outsource?
- What should you do before you even start looking to outsource or hire a team?
- How do you find the best people to hire?
- Ready to build a team, but not sure where to start?
Outsourcing or building a team doesn't have to be scary or hard. Doing a little reading and research is a good, safe first place to start.
Do you have other questions about this topic? Ask me in the comments below.
