I have to admit that I’m not the best at outsourcing yet. I am picky, and want things done a certain way. However, I do plan to change this in the very near future, as I begin to bring on more team members. I recognize I need to have people I hire who can help me with running the day-to-day tasks of my business.
Although I’ve always hired the occasional person to do work for me, it has always been for a short period of time. One of my experiences this past spring was to hire a transcriber for an audio. In hindsight, I could have transcribed it all myself in less time. I am a very fast typist, and have used free software to get the job done before.
I ended up hiring someone on Odesk. After she had agreed to the contract, she asked for a bonus payment (before even completing the work)!
Looking back, though, I know I was partly to blame.
My main 2 mistakes included:
- Hiring someone who was not fluent in all aspects of the English language – Although she passed my testing of homophones such as “two,” “too,” and “to,” and could put words together accurately when writing her own sentences, she couldn’t always accurately interpret our spoken words. I take it that our North American accents made it harder for her to understand what we were saying.
- Looking for someone relatively inexpensive –The time that I had to spend afterwards fixing up the printed transcript, could have been better spent on money-making projects.
Anyway, this was a great learning experience, and taught me a lot! I’ll touch more on that in a future post.
As I look for ways to grow a quality, outsourcing team, I’ve been listening to a FREE 4-part video series that Melissa Ingold has put together on outsourcing. She is a very inspiring, smart entrepreneur with quite a story behind her (it hasn’t all been easy for her either). In her videos, she has given me some great ideas, and the motivation to move forwards in my own business. If you are ready to grow an information-publishing business, she will teach you about outsourcing, creating systems, and marketing.
What are you waiting for? It’s free! Listen to the first video here! 🙂
Hi Kim
Your post hit home. One of my affirmations is that “I am blessed with a team of brilliant performers who understand that the success of my company helps them achieve their own dreams”. I’ve only a few people I’ve been able to align with, but they are gifted and very reliable. I need a few more though! Will look into Melissa’s gig. Thanks for the tip.
You’re welcome. We all want the same things – happiness, health, and the time to spend it with those we love. You won’t be disappointed with the tips Melissa covers in her videos. Knowing her story, has motivated me to stop procrastinating with many things.
Hey Kim,
I also watched Melissa Ingold’s video it was very informative. Surprisingly, I did not know a lot of the good VA’s made upwards of $50.00 an hour.
In addition, to the 2 mistakes you listed I would also say that you should be quick to fire people. I have made the mistake of repeating myself over and over again. Even, after I have thoroughly explained the job.
Found you through Nicole Dean’s Blog
Hi, Cynthia
Thanks for commenting.
Yes, I follow Nicole Dean. She’s a smart lady with lots of good tips. Melissa Ingold is also a great business woman.
I agree with you that it’s important to know when to fire someone. It doesn’t do either you or the contractor any good to prolong the relationship. Like Melissa talks about in her video, you want to record your methods and processes, and use those as teaching methods for the people you contract out work to.
Hi Kim,
I enjoy the videos that Melissa Ingold provided I’m in process of using oDesk and Elance, regarding a PLR report that I have and to be rewritten, also I see that it’s a lot of work and time in choosing a right VA for certain projects.
So Kim thanks for your throuhgts on outsourcing and have a Happy Holiday and Happy New Year.
Take care.
Tony
Hi, Tony
Thanks for stopping by! I plan to do a lot more outsourcing this year. In a recent post written by Melissa, I realized that I’ve been “out-tasking” more than outsourcing. The most important thing is to document and create systems in order to train someone how to do the required tasks.