Running a startup can be tough for a variety of reasons especially for an entrepreneur that has issues delegating. Finding service providers and additional help can be extremely important when it comes to growing the business. Assessing your company’s current structure can provide some clarity as to what areas should be outsourced. This can be a touchy subject as you might opt to get rid of an in-house department totally to source out the work to others. There should still be a few employees in this department that can help manage the contractors. The following are areas of your startup that you should consider outsourcing.
Online Security and Website Management
Network security is of paramount importance when dealing with customer information. Most businesses cannot survive a huge data breach like large corporations like Target or Home Depot. Online security is going to continue to grow in importance as nearly every system is moved online. Website management is important for companies that have eCommerce platforms. Payment pages should be as simple as possible but have to be incredibly secure.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing has so many factors that impact how much traffic a website receives. This can include everything from loading times on pages to backlinks from relevant websites. Instead of staffing an entire department, you can hire a few freelancers. Hiring an agency can help you put your company on the map and help the company website drive up the search engine rankings. Unless you have a massive number of skills that include copywriting, web design, PPC, and much more, it is better to opt for an agency.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is something that a company can save quite a bit of money on depending on which country they outsource it to. There should be no difference in the quality of products besides the profit margin on each. Be careful when sourcing to certain countries as they might not have the same working cultures. They might be very harsh and this is not something you want to align yourself with. You can even outsource this domestically and use it as a PR move as some only want products that were manufactured in the US.
Sales
Sales are something that can be tough to outsource to a company if they have little knowledge in an industry. Finding the right group or company to help with sales can improve the overall trajectory of the company. Make sure that the pitches being used are not too pushy and convey what the company wants. Building a sales team that is comprised of outsourced workers and in-house employees is likely the best bet. There are still big clients that might want to meet with a person physically even in this world dominated by Zoom meetings.
Outsourcing can change the way that you do business and take the responsibility off of in-house staff. Take the time to look at which areas could potentially be outsourced and what the benefits would be from a financial view.