First lets recall what it was meant to be like…
Awesome lifestyle…
making a dent…
and making a little money.
That’s what you started out working towards, but it’s not happening. While we are at it, what happened to the four-hour work week, Tim?
4 bloody hours? Try 80!
This isn’t how it was supposed to be.
Remember when you started this online business thing? You planned to be making lots more money, working reasonable hours and really enjoying everything you do.
Yet here you are, overwhelmed with work and miles away from what you imagined.
What the hell happened?
I recently introduced the number one thing I will be doing to build my online business this year. If you missed it – it’s outsourcing. It is the number one reason I was able to build a successful business, and it also happens to be what almost* everyone else who is successful online is doing, too!
*The others have employees in an office
My outsourcing post led to a lively flow of comments on my blog and by email. More comments then I have ever seen by far – I had clearly hit a nerve.
Here are some comments I got:
FEAR 1
“We all love to outsource, too, but the issue is that most of us are not making any dough from our efforts yet in order to pay the bill for a VA” – Theodore of Top Blogging Coach
FEAR 2
“I’m a control freak and can’t imagine giving up things….” (email)
FEAR 3
“I don’t know where to start – What can I outsource?” (email)
Allow me to put Fear 3 to bed by introducing you to the free “5 Steps To Hiring A Rockstar Virtual Assistant” PDF, which is designed to help you figure out exactly what to outsource in the first place.
[hcshort id=”5″]
Now let’s deal with Fear 1 and Fear 2…
Both, I think, can be answered with one question:
Are you controlling a business or a hobby?
Of course, I know the answer, but let’s look at the difference:
A business is something where you make an impact, help others and get paid for it. To achieve this, our hours need to be spent effectively.
A hobby is something you do not expect to get paid for and you are perfectly happy spending many hours just doing it for the sheer enjoyment.
If you are doing a hobby – terrific – hobbies are great.
If you are building a business then I have a follow-up question for you:
What are you worth on an hourly basis?
For example, let’s say I plan to earn six figures. This equates to $52/hr based on a 48-week year (4 weeks off) and 40 hours per week.
Notice I said “plan to” not “am” because hiring someone is an investment in your business.
I use a bookkeeper at $25/hr because not only do they cost half my rate/hour, but they are twice as quick and they do something I really friggin’ hate!
I hired a VA in the Philippines at $2.44/hr and a British blogger in Australia for $12.50 per hour.
I also hired an accountant at $95/hr. I can hear you say, “Wait a minute, Quinn, he earns almost double what you even plan to earn.” But he is a bargain because becoming a CPA would take me a very long time indeed.
In both cases you can easily make a business case pretty easily, but have you given any thought to all the other things you can do with the extra time you have?
Your Business is Not Your Life
So stop acting like it is!
“Once you recognize that the purpose of your life is not to serve your business, but that the primary purpose of your business is to serve your life, you can then go to work ON your business, rather than IN it….” (Michael E. Gerber, The E-Myth Revisited)
- Maybe you would like to spend more time with your family?
- Perhaps you would like to do more of the things that energise you?
- Or do you want to focus on making more money?
What I found is that once I started using a VA, I had more time to do the things that are important.
This gave me more control of the things that matter and also made for a great investment in my business and my future.
OK enough already, are you ready to put your fears aside and give outsourcing a try?
Start right here.
Download the free “5 Steps To Hiring A Rockstar Virtual Assistant” PDF.
[hcshort id=”5″]
Here are some comments I got this week:
“I read [the 5 Steps PDF] and decided to move forward with posting on Elance.”
“You’ve inspired me! I’m going to post an Ad to get someone to help research prospective customers” (Chris Potter, co-founder Screenlight).
Dominique says
I am in the control freak camp 🙂 Thanks for the kick in the pants – Downloading the five steps now!
cubiclefree says
Thanks Dominique, Think you are going to find the 5 Steps sets you up for success. Thanks for dropping by and breaking the ice.
Quinn
Theodore Nwangene says
That is really the fear i was having Quinn,
And thank you for all your help both via comment and email.
I’ve finally created the niche site i was telling you about, posted two posts and still working on the logo. I will send you the link via email to see it and give me your suggestion, i might also need your help along the way, will contact you in any case.
The things i will like to outsource for now if i get the money is writing and link building.
I will download the report now.
Thanks my man.
cubiclefree says
Awesome! Thanks for the update – I will put it on my priority list to provide resources for finding writers and building links then. Cheers, Quinn
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Quinn,
Please check your email, i just sent you the link. Thanks.
Glenn says
Hey Quinn – Really great article! FYI – Saw it promoted on Twitter today! Good summary and solution to implement outsourcing when not getting everything needed done. Very practical and simple approach to making it a business decision and stop acting like your biz is a hobby… Love to know how promotions on Twitter are doing for you too!
Great great stuff!
Glenn
cubiclefree says
Hey Glenn, Thanks for the compliment on the post and leaving a message I appreciate it! So far I have spent $21 and I have had some awesome interactions like yours and retweets as a result. Still very early days but I would say it could be a solid investment – certainly worth trying. You have a great website – looks like we are from the same school of thought. Cheers, Quinn