It is often a problem typical of creating a successful business and going through a period of expansion: you do so well at the initial things that you wish to expand into new areas and take on new kinds of projects. What happens if you go ahead with this plan, hire a load of staff on permanent contracts and find out six months later that the market is not ready for what you are offering?
It certainly won’t be easy to casually dispense with many hired employees, who could rightly expect compensation if you wished to end the contract early. It is for these types of situations, and a general business sense of improving efficiency, that outsourcing can bring so many benefits.
No matter how valuable your business may be, and how exciting your predicted future trends appear, it is impossible for you to manage everything and keep it all at a perfect level. You can delegate these tasks to middle management, but this only inflates the staff payroll and increases monthly outgoings when there may be a better way around it.
For projects that are specialist, or occasional engagements, hiring contractors can be the easy solution. When looking to roll out some new software for example, bringing in the person who knows all about this type of program on a contractor basis is ideal, allowing both of you more freedom. It also means that once the project is finished you are not stuck with an employee twiddling his or her thumbs until the next update is due.
Similarly, marketing campaigns and creative design aspects can also be outsourced. Assume you wish to bring out a new logo that better reflects current business, or run a television advert. It may be more effective to bring in people specifically for this task – they will likely have experience in exactly what you are looking for, and the moment it is completed to your satisfaction, they can move on to their next assignment.
All of this is just the tip of the iceberg. Web development can easily be outsourced as and when you need it, and the likes of the accountancy department can be run from elsewhere. Payroll and taxes can all be done by specialists who know how to operate in these areas. Umbrella companies can absolve you from all of this work, including those tricky tasks such as getting help with IR35, and they can even hire the contractors you need, on your behalf.
Thanks to the prevalence of the Internet, finding suitable freelancers has never been easier. There are many ways to host online a description of the exact project you wish to begin, and source the perfect candidates with exact experience in what you wish to do.
All of this can allow you to do what you do best: focus on the work that has already made your business successful so far, and develop it how you wish without all of the unwelcome distractions.
