One of the amazing things about our community is the DIY spirit. An entire generation of makers are finding that they can jump online, sell their work, and promote their products. And it’s opened up a lot of doors.
But that same DIY spirit may now be impeding the growth of your business.
If you’re maxed out on time but want to see your business grow, it’s time to considering outsourcing. Now, I know outsourcing has been a contentious issue here on Crafting an MBA. But I’m not just talking about outsourcing production. There are plenty of other aspects of your business you can outsource in order to help your business grow. Here are a few to consider:
- Graphic design. Whether it’s designing a new promotional postcard to creating an entire branding and visual identity strategy, the right graphic designer can help take your business to the next level. Projecting a professional image can go a long way towards making customers and press pay more attention to you and your business.
- Web design. If you aren’t comfortable with HTML, is it really worth your time to learn just to build your own website? And sure, there are plenty of templates out there you can drop your images into, but then your website will look like, well, everyone else’s. Your website is still your calling card to the world, and having a distinctive, professional looking website can do wonders for your business.
- Photography. Yes, it’s pretty easy to take shots of your newest items to sell on Etsy. But what about hiring a pro to take some fantastic images of your products in use – clothing and jewelry on models, ceramics and paintings in the home. These are images that you (or your graphic designer) can use to put together an impressive catalog, website, or other promo materials.
- Public relations. If you goal is mega magazine coverage, you might want to look into hiring a PR rep. There are many ways to keep plugging away on your own to try to get press, but a PR rep comes with an established set of contacts at magazines and major media websites. They’ll introduce your work to editors it might have taken you years to crack.
- Sales. Are you limited in the amount of time you can spend on the road? Or do you find it difficult to sell your own products? A sales rep might be a great way to help get your products into stores. As with a PR rep, they often come with an established set of contacts. Your choice in sales reps runs from independent reps to large rep groups with established showrooms, so be sure to find one that meets your needs.
- Bookkeeping and accounting. Understanding your numbers is key to generating growth, but if you aren’t good in that area, it can be worth it to bring in a little extra help. (Can’t afford a bookkeeper – check out Outright. I’ve been using it to track my business finances, and have to say I’m loving it.) I really think that any serious business should have an accountant. You don’t have the time or knowledge to know all the tax laws, and that little bit of money you save by doing it yourself might actually be costing you much more in the long run.
- Production. Outsourcing production doesn’t have to mean sending work overseas, or even having things produced by machine. Perhaps you can hire another maker to do piecework for you. It’s a great opportunity for someone whose business isn’t that far along to generate some extra income. (I hire someone to do a lot of my chain making for me.) And it can free you up to work on more complex pieces and new designs.
When you’re thinking about outsourcing, the idea is to ask yourself, is there someone who could do this better or more efficiently than I could? By outsourcing tasks you aren’t that interested in or aren’t that good at, you are freeing yourself to do the things that will really help grow your business. (Like creating new designs.)
Once you’ve made the decision to outsource, you’ll need to do your homework to find the service provider that’s a good fit for you. For things like graphic and web designers, PR reps, and accountants, ask other maker’s for their suggestions. (Most makers will hold some things, like manufacturers, pretty close to the vest.) When interviewing a potential contractor, be sure to ask for examples of their previous work and a list of other clients as references. For PR and sales reps, you’ll want to know who they currently represent so that you can see how your line fits in. And anytime you start work with a new vendor, be sure to get a contract up front that clearly outlines expectations, timelines, and fees.
If you can’t find any more hours in the day to work on your business, but you’d like to see it grow, outsourcing might just be the solution for you.
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Great points, Megan! Another I might add that I know some people have success with is Virtual Assistants who could do any number of tasks from answering email to doing website updates.
Outsourcing certain things can give you a better product too. Yes, we can weld, but the guy on the farm a few miles away can weld beautifully and in a fraction of the time too. It might take us 8 hours for what he can do in 2 or 3.
Nice article Megan. My random tax audit went smoothly because my accountant was there to answer questions with me. An audit is a lot easier to handle when you have a professional who knows all of the tax laws sitting next to you.
Great post and very useful Megan!
I’ve been outsourcing some of our production work which has freed some of my time to work on other tasks. Tara, I think getting a Virtual Assistant is helpful especially during busy seasons…
One thing to keep in mind when outsourcing is that you need to be realistic about cost. I’m actually working on an article about the cost of professional services that will be up next week. It drives me nuts seeing so many small biz owners expecting the stars and moon for a rock bottom price. You get what you pay for.
Meredith – I couldn’t agree more! I often discuss this with a friend who is a graphic designer. People come to her expected ridiculously low wages. If we want people to value the price of our products, then we need to value the price and time of service providers we might hire. Can’t wait to see your post!
Posted http://smallerbox.net/blog/uncategorized/you-get-what-you-pay-for-hiring-pros-to-support-your-business/
I work as a VA and really enjoy the work and extra income. If anyone needs these services, please contact me. All those little tasks, like research, that you hate to do, I really love!
I would love to hire a sales rep for my designs on Etsy, but I am not sure how to find one.
Anna – oftentimes trade shows are a good place to look for reps. If you aren’t participating in a trade show, or can’t make it to one in person, you can check out the online exhibitor directories for reps or rep groups that exhibit at the show. some shows, like americas mart in atlanta even have permanent show rooms, and they most likely list the reps that show in them.
I just recently hired a graphic designer to update my logo, cards, and tags and I am super happy with the result (be sure to negotiate price if you’re a tiny business- they most likely still want your business even if you can’t pay quite as much as they’d like). I hire an accountant to do my taxes and a subcontractor to sew for me (if she works out of her own home then you don’t have to collect taxes or pay benefits). I am interested in the VA, sales rep, and PR rep though. Thanks for these ideas!
I think a lot of crafters (myself included) have a VERY hard time not being possessive of every aspect of the business, even when we might not be best for the individual tasks. I have an intern, but have a hard time having her print for me, because then it’s not MY printing. I love the idea of finding a compromise and actually taking help with the things I KNOW I’m not good at, like PR. Thanks for the push! Know of any good places to look for such a rep?
Megan, I completely agree with all of your great points, but wanted to comment on the “PR” person part…these people, because they HAVE contacts are exorbitant, and well out of reach of many…the least expensive one I have ever contacted was $1000 a month, with a six month contract..the most expensive one wanted a retainer of about $25,000!…what they can do is amazing…I have seen friends essentially ‘buy’ themselves a career this way…and who wouldnt want to take it up to the next level…but this is so out of most artists’ reach it’s almost painful!
kerin – i agree that hiring a PR rep can get very pricey, and this is where you have to way your goals to your budget. in trying to get press, I would try doing some of the DIY stuff yourself, but if you aren’t getting anywhere with that, it might be worth hiring a PR person.
I hired a PR rep a couple of years ago and it grew my business in ways I never could have on my own, it’s not cheap, I basically have to work another job part time to pay for her services but press as is a marathon, not a sprint I feel its worth the investment. Last year I took on two assistants and they handle the little things like labels and filing all the way up to piece work for jewelry and product photographing for the web page. They work two full days a week with me in my studio and its made an amazing difference. I also started working with an illustrator over the holidays (we barter!) and hired a twice a month house cleaner. You would be amazed how hiring help for your personal life can have a major positive impact on your business. Next up in the hiring is an accountant and eventually someone to help update the website!
Excellent week of posts, thank you for getting the thoughts going on growth!
I of all people can stress the importance of graphic design! 10 years ago, a poorly designed website still impressed, after all, it was more than most had. Today, everyone has a website and it isn’t hard to get a template to make you look good. To stand out from the crowd, spend some time on your site, your business cards, your logo, etc.! Never a second chance to make a first impression…
Be careful with PR… a firm can help but can just as easily be a drain on your budget. I’d encourage you to work those channels yourself.
By the way, are you suggesting outright.com for bookeeping? The link is broken
It is an awesome app!
i was suggesting outright.com – the link is fixed now. thanks for catching that!
Outsourcing is key for business growth. As one who relies on others outsourcing to keep me in business, I myself struggle with the whole concept. I have a hard time paying someone else to do something that I think I can figure out how to do. I have to remind myself that 1) my time is better spent doing what I do best, not trying to figure out SEO (or something like that) and 2) no matter how much time I spend trying to figure out how to do it, it will get done better by having a professional do it. It is just hard to let it go sometimes!
Does anyone know of or have a good PR person that is within reach?
Hi Alex,Indeed, many markets have many (but not nlaery all) properties with negative equity. There are essentially 3 ways to handle this situation.1. Move on to the next property. There are plenty of properties in the market place that DO have equity.2. Conduct a short sale negotiation with the bank.3. Depending on the amount of equity, check the rents in the area. Even with negative equity, it can be an option to take over the property subject-to the existing financing and lease it out for cashflow.
Great info! I particularly love the part od graphic design and pro photos. I’ll be giving that ideas some though!
Thanks!
I have a question. and I don’t mean to offend anyone, but if you outsource your actual handiwork how can you call that handmade? At that point aren’t you a manufacturer?
Anna – I reference the comments of a post in this post that you should check out – this similar discussion took place.
I think it all depends on how you choose to market your products. There are certain “handmade” venues that highly discourage outsourcing in any form (handmade or otherwise). But I think there are a lot of other scenarios where what matters most is the uniqueness of your design and the quality of the product.
Every maker must come to terms with what’s appropriate for their marketplace and what is appropriate for their values. And that is going to be different for everyone. I truly believe that there is no one right way to make a living as a maker, and so I always want to keep the conversation open for everyone to explore all their options and make informed choices.
If you are the designer and you are specific about how you want your designs initiated and how you want the pieces to be made and you have 1,000 pieces that have been ordered by Gilt Groupe, you hire someone you will do what you want. Are you going to be able to do all that yourself or give up the big account because you won’t be able to make it all in time? You have to find a way. It’s outsourcing help, which is exactly what we do, to fill your wholesale and retail orders. If you want to expand you business and you want to grow and you want your designs in the top stores and the buyers are buying, you have to let someone who knows what they are doing to help you. What is manufacturing? For example, ALL haute couture designers DO NOT hand make their own dresses. Miucca Prada doesn’t even drape. They have an embroiderer who is an expert at embroidering, leather experts, milliners, they have a team of seamstresses that put together the pieces that are cut out by the cutters in the next room. They sketch a dress and have a full team who have been with them for years who know exactly their vision, their vibe and can execute with the wave of a hand. That dress is $50,000 all handmade by the atelier of Yves St Laurent, Chanel, Dior, Givenchy, Balenciaga, Fendi, Prada, Louis Vuitton, et al. They have the TOP people, experts in their fields, that the dress goes from hand to hand til it walks the runway. Does that make it manufactured? No, it is still under France’s law of haute couture syndicale, all hand made. If you want to grow your design business and expand your ideas, find someone who is an expert at what they do and seek their help. You can find someone who can help you with your handiwork, no matter what it is and there’s nothing wrong with that because you’re controlling every step of the process because that’s your job. You’re the boss.
I am nowhere near the point of outsourcing, but these are great tips to consider for the future. Thanks Megan!
Great post, Megan!
I also work as a Virtual Assistant, like Anna, specializing in Social Media & Internet Marketing and translations. Those are two other aspects of your business that you could (and should) outsource. Maintaining your web presence can be very time consuming and is therefore the perfect thing to outsource. There are many Virtual Assistants who specialize in Social Media (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin etc.).
Sarah
http://www.twitter.com/sarahsantacroce
I guess I am caught in the middle right now. I have been getting a lot of Etsy orders and a lot of wholesale requests. When I send out my line sheet I get feedback that they would like to place an order but my wholesale prices are too high. I make altered couture for children. I am caught because I can’t order a large enough quantity of supplies to get my prices down because I am a start up and don’t have the cash. I could do three times the business I do if I could lower my costs. I don’t see anything like my designs out there for children. It is very frustrating and I am not sure what to do about it.
I have been thinking a lot about outsourcing for help lately. It’s really difficult for me to give up control of things in general, but I think getting help in simple things like washing/drying/ironing materials, cutting and assembling packaging, woven labels, business cards, assembling chain necklaces (as you had mentioned) – these sorts of things – would free up a tremendous amount of time for me! More time to create!
A fabulous article, Megan! It seems that I’ve been hearing so much about outsourcing lately, so your post is right on target.
I was particularly interested to read your idea about hiring a photographer to capture images of products in use. That’s a great idea! Perhaps business owners who are interested in this could find young, budding photographers who are looking for some shooting experience.
Julie – that’s a great idea. For instance, if you make clothing or accessories, you could partner with an aspiring fashion photographer. You get new product shots, and they get work for their portfolio. It’s a win-win!
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