Kevin Ashcroft tells us why you should outsource work to grow your company. He also talks about his book, Outsourcing For Success, a must-have for business owners.
Kevin Ashcroft started his first business when he was just 19 years old. He had no idea what he was doing when it started, but it grew and he sold it in 2011. Today, he uses the concepts he learned from his first business to not only run his new companies, Blinkered Media and WP Support Specialists, but to support and mentor other entrepreneurs. He’s also the author of Outsourcing For Success.
Assessing if your business needs to outsource work
Outsourcing is the practice of hiring a third-party company to perform tasks that are traditionally done in-house. This can be a great way to save time, money, and resources. However, it’s important to make sure that it’s the right decision for your business.
- Your business is growing: It’s possible that as your company expands, you’ll reach a point where you can’t do all of the work in-house. Outsourcing can free up your time and resources so that you can focus on scaling your business.
- You lack the expertise to handle a particular task: Outsourcing can be a wonderful option if your company needs to complete a task that requires a certain skill set that you don’t already have in-house. Outsourcing can also help you to tap into the expertise of a global workforce.
- You need to reduce costs. Outsourcing can be a great way to reduce your costs, especially if you can find a reputable outsourcing provider that can offer you high-quality services at a competitive price.
- You need to improve your customer service: Outsourcing can improve your customer service by having access to a team of customer care experts who are available round-the-clock. If your company has various time zones where it operates, this can be extremely useful.
- You need to comply with regulations. If your business is subject to a number of regulations, outsourcing can help you to ensure that you are in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. This can be especially helpful if you don’t have the in-house expertise to handle regulatory compliance.
- You need to comply with regulations: If your company has to abide by a number of regulations, outsourcing can assist you in making sure that you are in compliance with all relevant laws and rules. This is particularly useful if you lack the internal competence to manage regulatory compliance.
If you’re considering outsourcing, it’s important to do your research and choose a reputable outsourcing provider. You should also need to consider your needs and goals before making a decision.
On today’s episode :
- The decision to write Outsourcing For Success – 3:21
- How to build a business by outsourcing work – 5:30
- The benefits of a location independent business – 11:37
- How to start outsourcing work – 12:44
- The different ways to use the freelancing model – 15:32
- How to balance quality of deliverable vs cost – 18:44
- Why you shouldn’t go for the cheapest freelancer – 19:52
- How to find the diamond in the rough – 23:04
- Balancing a mixed team of full time and freelancers – 27:00
- How Covid is changing the image of outsourcing – 30:37
- How Kevin gives back – 35:15
- Inside Outsourcing For Success – 39:01
Key Takeaways:
- When you begin outsourcing, start small, don’t overthink it. It’s safe, it doesn’t cost you and it doesn’t take much time, but it gives you the confidence to move forward with outsourcing bigger projects.
- Focus on quality of outsourced talent rather than getting the cheapest available. Paying more for talent actually lowers your overall business costs while giving you better overall ROI.
- Set the expectations of freelancers up front, to build a level of trust that flows both ways.
- If you’re starting a business or you’re looking for a mentor, Kevin is offering 4 entrepreneurs every 6 months mentorship, as well as choosing one business a month for a site makeover.
- The premise of Outsourcing For Success is to give business owners and entrepreneurs insight into outsourcing, how they can use it to scale their business, and to get access to skills and services they find hard to come by.
Memorable Quotes by Kevin Ashcroft:
- “It’s getting it done right the first time by someone who’s experienced. When you deal with specialists, you get a different level of feedback, you get ideas, you get communication that can actually help you with your services and your client, it can help you get more business from your clients, and you get happier clients. You’re not employing someone full time, you’re bringing them in as and when you need them. And so you’ve got that flexibility.”
What’s been your experience of outsourcing work or hiring freelancers? Share it with us in the comments. And don’t forget to say hello if you would like to share your entrepreneurship story on our podcast.
Connect with Kevin Ashcroft:
- Website: Blinkered Media
- Website: www.wpsupportspecialists.com
- Personal website: Kev Ashcroft
- Book – Outsourcing For Success
- Giving back mentoring program
- LinkedIn: Kevin Ashcroft
Connect with A.J. Lawrence:
- Website: ajlawrence.com
- Instagram: @ajlawrence
- LinkedIn: A.J. Lawrence
Follow Beyond 8 Figures:
- Website: Beyond8Figures.com
- Twitter: @beyond8figures
- Facebook: Beyond 8 Figures
- Instagram:@b8fpodcast
