Outsourcing is everywhere and almost everyone is talking about it. It affects our jobs and we might even know a few friends or family members who lost their jobs due to being outsourced. As small business owners we need to stay competitive and certain things require outsourcing – even though we might not call it that way. However, any service that a small business receives from another company is kind of outsourcing.
Outsourcing becomes more critical when it comes to things related to the Internet and small businesses should be well aware of what can be outsourced and how to outsource it. While large businesses can work with the large outsourcing providers this is not a good option for the local Heating and Plumbing business that needs some online work done (be it SEO, PPC, or web design). Small businesses can hire a local web designer or service provider and that is a good option for some stuff, but then again there are many things that would be way too expensive to be done that way.
I started outsourcing a lot of things last year and it was a lot of work. I actually went to Craig’s List Manila, posted my jobs, interviewed peopled, and assigned the jobs to someone I felt was a good choice. However, it was a difficult process which came to a halt when I posted a new ad to hire another person and one of my existing employees applied (not knowing it was me though). In the end I found out the girl was “working” 3 full-time jobs at the same time. I don’t mind if somebody wants to work a lot, but the work I paid for did not match the hours I paid for. She worked 10 hours a day fitting 3 full-time jobs into that time frame. So, instead of having a full-time person working for me, I was cheated on by someone working part-time.
There had to be a better way and I found it in oDesk. oDesk is like a market place where buyers and sellers meet. You can find content writers, link builders, software developers, data entry professionals, and many more. As a business I can post a job, interview people, read the feedback they have received from other jobs and then decide who to hire. Once somebody has been hired, oDesk has a software installed on their computer that tracks usage. This is a great tool as I can keep track of how many hours somebody works and compare it to the results.
By using oDesk I do not have to pay $50 – $75 per hour to a consultant, I can get away with a fraction of the cost and receive the same quality of work. Not everyone on oDesk works in a country where the cost of living is so much cheaper, but you can also get connected to people living and working in the US. This is important as like for content writing you want a native speaker as an example.
oDesk can be used for many things and you should definitely check it out. Look at the jobs and see what other companies are using it for. Look at the applicant profiles and see how employees can be selected and rated and reviewed. It is easy to use. Once you post a job, oDesk takes 10% on top of what you pay to an employee. As an example I posted a data entry job at a fixed price of $30 and was then charged $33.00 for the work when it was done. The same work would have taken me 6-7 hours and so I was able to do more important work instead. The same freelancer (they are not employees actually – just using the term accordingly) now has completed 3 jobs for me. While the amount of money I paid sounds very low compared to US wages, for the country this freelancer lives in it was middle-class “salary”.
Check out oDesk and see if it can be used for some of your needs. Some stuff I do through oDesk and other things I am working with US companies. Combined it is a great solution that allows me to be competitive.