As a solopreneur, you are responsible for every aspect of your business. There are no employees around to help you provide your services, assist with marketing, post on social media, or pick up the slack on days when you’re sick. This makes it easy to feel as if you are in it alone. Like you don’t have anyone there to help you get everything done.
Yet, Amanda Hamilton, founder of Hamilton Raye—a company that brings professional remote administrative support to startup organizations and small to medium-sized businesses—says that this doesn’t have to be the case. You can, and should, outsource some of your duties, as this provides many benefits for solopreneurs.
Benefits of Outsourcing
“Being a solopreneur can be really tough and lonely,” says Hamilton. “Bringing on someone that can help take work off your plate is great, but it is also nice to have a thought partner to run ideas by and brainstorm together.”
Plus, outsourcing offers solopreneurs the ability to build a team without the expense of hiring full or part-time staff. It also provides access to individuals with the skillsets needed to grow your business and take it to the next level.
While this means paying someone to perform functions that you can potentially do yourself, it might be worth the investment. For instance, one of Hamilton Raye’s solopreneur clients, Christina Lopes, was struggling to keep up with all of her work. So, she started outsourcing some of her tasks. The result?
“Her business has grown 75% over the past year,” says Hamilton. “She has one dedicated admin on the team but has access to several others that have expertise in digital marketing for a couple of times a year she needs help with running ads or supporting a change in social strategy.”
There is another advantage as well. “The consistent message I share,” says Hamilton, “is our most valuable and irreplaceable asset is TIME – something we can never get back.” Outsourcing allows you to still tend to your business and still have time to spend with family, friends, or even just to focus on yourself.
What Duties Should Solopreneurs Outsource?
With so much on your plate, it may be difficult to decide which tasks you should outsource. And these change for each business since every one-person company is unique. So, how do you choose?
Hamilton suggests that you write down all of the tasks you do on a daily or weekly basis. “Include EVERYTHING,” she says, “and then go back and look at the list and highlight the tasks you could allow someone else to handle that don’t fall into your strengths.” These are the items that you want to consider passing off.
Hamilton shares that her list includes tasks such as:
- Travel management
- Research projects
- Social media curation/management
- Public relations and podcast research
Handing off these types of duties allows you to perform business functions that play to your strengths. It also frees up time by having someone else do the tasks that you don’t need to do yourself.
Becoming an Outsourcee
Are you a writer, social media strategist, or virtual assistant who would be a good resource for other company’s looking to outsource some of their functions? If so, you might benefit from joining the other side of outsourcing, and that is to provide this type of service. In this case, promoting your one-person business is critical.
“I have found meeting with individuals within the industry or potential clients weekly is key,” says Hamilton. “When I was first starting out, I would seek advice from successful business owners and would kindly ask what their key advice would be and if they had any introductions to make for other individuals I could either learn from or might be a good fit as a client. The majority of business owners love to share their journey and provide support and guidance to those starting out, and I have always loved learning from those that have already been in my shoes.”
In essence, you can use outsourcing to help you run your business or you can use it to increase your client base. Either way, it takes your company to the next level, which makes it well worth considering. Even as a solopreneur.
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