“So do you build the website yourself or do you outsource it?” The first time a client asked me this, I mumbled something about not using outsourced help. Why? Because I valued integrity. Or something like that.
At the time I didn’t use outsourced contractors but my thoughts on the topic haven’t changed. Why does it matter if I outsource?
I realized that I didn’t give my client the right answer.
How To Value Your Work as a Freelance Entrepreneur
You have a right to start a business, build a business, and make money by hiring other people. Freelancing is fine but there comes a time for many when outsourcing or hiring is the only way to grow a business (unless you want to maintain the lifestyle business vibe). If you use the word freelancer to describe yourself, clients will treat you differently. That’s the first piece of advice. Be a business owner, not a freelancer.
Why should a client concern themselves if we outsource some of our work?
If you get the job done for the agreed price, how you get it done should not matter.
If you hire help for a project will it negatively affect the delivered product or service? Unlikely. It’s your job to make sure everything runs smoothly. If a contractor or freelancer messes up, it’s your responsibility to fix it. And it might be very expensive to fix, especially if there’s a deadline.
The client doesn’t have to worry about this. In fact, they are not aware of what happens in the background. And that’s exactly what the client is paying for. They want the job done with minimum fuss. They don’t have the expertise in website building, freelance writing, or whatever the job is and they don’t want to train someone to do it.
Let’s imagine they resent the fact that we hire someone to do a job and add our fee on top.
Why is that?
Well, they might imagine they can just go straight to the freelancer. Why didn't they just do that in the first place? Well, one reason is that many contractors are unable to market themselves so nobody knows who the good ones are. Another reason is that it's time-consuming and expensive to find, interview, hire, and train people.
Let’s look at what finding a good freelancer involves.
Outsourcing is High-Level Management
The process goes something like this:
- Search for someone who can complete a task related to the project. This a long-winded, frustrating process. Finding good people is not easy and often results in wasted money and time. The right person for the job might be 10th in line.
- Manage the freelancer. Many writers, designers, and coders (those with specific skills) are not entrepreneurs. They have no idea how to run a business or connect their skills to a particular business model. That’s where guidance your guidance as an operator is valuable.
- Review the work, deliver it to the client, and manage the client.
The last part is often the one that takes the most energy. Your job is to manage both the client and the people you contract. Your clients often don’t understand or know what they want. Your job is to interpret this and manage the entire process.
Let’s imagine the client is the owner of a fitness studio, gym, or physical therapy clinic. Ask the owner if they treat all of their clients themselves. The answer will invariably be no. They outsource jobs to their employees, some of whom might be temporary contractors or freelancers paid per job.
Does your own client promote their services as “outsource-free”? Ask your client if they have employees, contractors, or freelancers? Unless you're dealing with a solo entrepreneur, there's some level of outsourcing in all businesses.
Do they have virtual assistants that manage their social media, accounts, and other tasks?
If you get the job done for the agreed price, how you get it done should not matter.
Nobody asks Nike if they outsource the manufacturing of their sneakers.
Nobody asks Elon Musk if he builds cars himself. But it’s intellectual property, you say. Actually, it’s mostly just management and vision. If you run an agency, don’t let anyone say that you’re not a visionary. You’ve figured out that there’s a need for people who make the lives of busty business owners easier. As a business owner yourself, you understand how to deliver value.
Steve Jobs certainly did not make iPhones. His company hired out the contracts to (alleged) sweatshops in China. Does anyone care that Steve himself didn’t make these phones? No. Has anyone ever walked into an Apple Store and asked the question, “Do you outsource your work?”
Now that we've moved past the ethical concerns, here's where you can find reliable places to outsource your business tasks
Where to outsource your freelance work
These services are reliable, professional, and discreet.
- Passion Posts – the highest quality service for outsourcing blog posts and content marketing material
- Wordagents – high-quality content writing team with tons of experience
- ContentWish – a newer service that's quickly becoming popular for quality outsourced content writing
- 99 Designs – the place to get unique, professional designs outsourced
- DotYeti – unlimited graphic design and marketing materials that you can resell to clients
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