Small business owners are always looking for a way to get more help to have things done for their business while spending less money to do it. One way to get more help for less money is to delegate the tasks to talented, external service providers.
Consider using sites like Elance (now Upwork) which screens people with specific sets of talent (i.e. writers, graphic designers, programmers, etc.). These people offer their skills to business people through the site and state the rates at which they are willing to work. You can find many people to delegate work to, including anything from providing administrative support to someone to design a logo for your company.
There are many business people who have mastered the art of outsourcing projects through sites and other avenues like this which will provide them people who are wiling to work for minimal costs. This also helps businesses find people who have the quality skills that the business may not otherwise have the budget to hire people to do full time.
The following are some great tips to keep in mind when you are outsourcing work to sites like this if you want the project to run smoothly as possible.
Consider the Scope & Schedule of the Project
You will want to make a clear statement of what you hope to accomplish through the project and how long you expect the project to take. Providing clear instructions and directions to the person/people who will be working on the project helps them understand what is expected, so they can deliver that.
Consider Using Someone to Evaluate Someone You Want to Work with Again/Hire Fulltime
Using a test project or two is a great way to evaluate someone’s skill to see if they are a good fit for your company long-term. If you will be providing them with regular work or hiring them on part/full time you want to make sure they are a good fit for your business. Ask questions and allow them to show what they can do. If they can help your business consider them an asset in the future.
Look for the Specific Experience Fit
Try to find someone who has experience in projects that are similar to what you are trying to take on. If they don’t have the experience already, consider what training they have to determine if they can learn how to take on the task quickly. The more quickly they pick up what is going on the faster things can get off the ground and your projects can get done.
Don’t Just Choose the Cheapest Option
This is sometimes when the saying, “You get what you pay for” comes into play. Paying a bit more might be worth it if the person is qualified and proven to have a successful track record in their past work. It’s really a complete waste of money if you hire someone to do something and you end up doing it again anyway because it was done poorly the first time.
Review Previous Work
Request some samples of similar work that he person has done in the past. If this work is up to quality, chances are they will do a quality job on your project. If not, move on to find someone who does better work.
Start Small
When starting with a new service provider, start with one small project. If they do well on that keep moving towards bigger projects that are more “involved”.
Tie Payments to Project Milestones
Clearly outline what the person will be paid for. For example, “When the business plan meets final approval the payout will be $500” would make it clear what is expected from the worker. Then there is little room for dispute.
Negotiate the Ownership of Work Up Front
Talk about who will own rights to the work once it’s complete. Also make sure that it’s clear that the person is not welcome to package and resell the same project’s product to other businesses after they receive remuneration from yours.
Don’t Forget About Support Once the Project is Complete
When you are working on a project related to technology specify a warranty or timetable for further assistance in the contract. If you use a lot of the person’s assistance and help in the future consider paying additional for their time. Establish those agreeable rates in the contract from the get-go as well.
Get it in Writing
Finally, write out a contract and have both you and the person you hire sign the form. This helps make it official and you can hold each other to the agreement that was made about the work being done.
These are just a few tips to help ensure that you have positive experiences with hiring talent out from other agencies and getting the help you need for your small business. This can be a great way to find new employees to add to your business or just to get help when times get the busiest.
For more information on reaching out to get help for your business when you need it while sticking to a budget please feel free to contact Flex Capital for more information.
