You can start outsourcing right now, even if you’ve never done it before or you don’t think you have the budget. At least, that’s what Jason Whaling, owner of The Aspiring Entrepreneur Blog, believes.
Jason laid out a few highly practical steps on how to go about it:
Step #1: What Should You Outsource First?
As an entrepreneur, you should remember that you wear many different hats. Note, however, that you don’t have to wear all these hats right now. You have to pick what you should be doing.
Jason then shows a “Time Value Ladder” where he suggests you apply all your tasks. Which tasks are worth $10, $50 and $100?
Once you’ve done that, take a look at the tasks under the $10 block – these are the ones you should outsource first. As the mastermind of your business, it’s your job to be doing the higher-value tasks.
By farming out lower-value tasks, you’ll be eased into the outsourcing process.
Step #2: Choose Your First Hire
At this point, you have two options. You either hire:
- Someone completely new and needs training (which is cheaper).
- Someone who’s already an expert (the more expensive option).
Step #3: Post Your Job
Next, you put up a Job Posting saying you’re looking for a virtual assistant (or VA) who is “a utility player” or something to the effect of “you’re going to be doing a lot of different things”.
Why? Because in that $10-block of tasks, you’ll probably have a lot of different types you need done.
You’ll need someone who’s willing to learn how to do multiple different responsibilities. Your objective here is to get all these tasks off your plate so that you can focus on more pressing priorities.
Important – See to it that you include the following details in your job posting:
- You’re looking for someone on a trial basis and will eventually join you full-time.
- A list of the various tasks that the VA will be doing.
Jason suggests that the job be at least 6 months to a year in length, otherwise you’ll just waste your time.
Step #4: Develop Your Freelancer Bench
This step lets you build a team without going through the whole process every time you need to outsource tasks. You’ll have to start looking at those $50 tasks which improve your business processes.
Jason suggests that you look for Qualified VAs through on-demand freelancing platforms (presumably for a quick turnaround), using job postings that are similar to what tasks you need completed. Whenever you find qualified prospects, record them in an Excel worksheet or Word document.
While listing VA prospects, assign them to 3 skill brackets:
- Great
- Mediocre
- Does crummy work but is cheap
Whenever you encounter a task that falls under the $50 task tier, contact your VA and have them choose the best candidate from your list of qualified prospects. Make sure you give your VA all the necessary details including:
- Your budget (so that your VA can choose between the skill brackets).
- The list of qualified prospects.
- The task’s technical parameters.
With this approach, you’ve outsourced your $10 and $50 tasks with just one full-time VA. You won’t have to hire an entire department to get stuff done; you just need one or two really good utility players (from Step #3) who can carry out your tasks or delegate them.
Tip: Use the “Purple Elephant”
To cut down your time in finding your VA and doing it right on your first try, Jason suggests you instruct job hunters to include certain words (e.g. “purple elephant”) in their application as proof that they read your job posting.
If applicants don’t include the words, disqualify them. It’s a bit underhanded, but it helps you narrow down your search quickly. You wouldn’t want to entertain candidates who can’t follow instructions.
Here’s Jason’s complete video:
Meet the Remote Workmate Hotlist
There’s an even more effective way to find the right VA: outsource your recruitment through Remote Workmate. Unlike freelancing marketplaces where you do everything yourself, we’ll handle all the heavy lifting for you (including payroll, onboarding).
In fact, you can choose from our pool of notable candidates right away. Simply visit our Hotlist at: https://remoteworkmate.com/hotlist
You can browse a wide range of profiles on our Hotlist page. Once you find a qualified VA, simply fill out the form at the bottom of the page, and we’ll get in touch with you right away so we can talk about your business’ needs.
