4 Tasks At-Home Business Owners Should Consider Outsourcing

If you run your small business out of your house, you are probably used to wearing many hats. To keep your home-based business afloat, you are a combination of chief executive officer, human resources manager, accountant and overall organization expert. You might also juggle other responsibilities related to your home office, like general cleaning and outdoor maintenance.

While you like being involved in every aspect of your home business, there are days when you struggle to get everything done. In addition, some tasks are not in your proverbial wheelhouse, which means you spend too much time trying to master these important jobs when you should be tackling other projects.

In cases like these, it definitely pays to outsource. In addition to being a cost-effective way to get everything done, it’s also a terrific way to ensure that you do not stretch yourself too thin and that all tasks are completed in a competent and timely manner. For example, check out the following four suggestions:

Accounting, Bookkeeping and Finances

As The Self Employed notes, accounting, bookkeeping and related tasks tend to be very detailed and time-consuming projects. As a work-at-home professional, you also have to keep very detailed records to complete your taxes. Rather than tearing your hair out trying to keep tabs on all of your finances, it makes sense to hire an accountant who can help with this important area of your business, and also complete your typically-complicated tax returns for you. In order to make sure your sensitive financial information is not being compromised, you may also wish to enlist the help of a monitoring service. Instead of spending tons of time watching your accounts looking for possible problems, a monitoring service constantly watches your business checking, savings and credit card accounts and will alert you if anything is amiss.

Website Design

In order to reach as many customers as possible, you should definitely have a snazzy-looking website. While your local bookstore probably has plenty of books that will teach the average Jo or Joe how to make a website in one weekend, in reality it’s a pretty challenging task. Consider hiring a website designer who can create an eye-catching site for your business, and also provide ongoing support services. This way, if a customer calls in and says she cannot place an order because the site has crashed, you don’t have to drop everything you are working on to fix it — the website designer will handle it.

Virtual Assistant

If you find that you are spending hours a day answering emails, preparing and sending out invoices and other necessary but time consuming tasks, it may be time to hire a virtual assistant. As Kashoo notes, virtual assistants can handle these necessary “time suck” tasks with ease, leaving you free to tackle work projects, client meetings and business proposals. Most virtual assistants are independent contractors who work from their homes for a variety of clients; if you wish to have in-person contact, you might find a local assistant who will come to your home office and tackle time consuming tasks in person.

Housekeeping and Yard Work

If you have clients coming to your home office on a regular basis, you want to be sure your home’s exterior is well-manicured and you don’t have stacks of dishes in the sink. In order to make sure your home is looking clean and clutter free — which will also help to keep you feeling calm and relaxed — consider hiring housekeeping and landscaping services. This will free up some much needed time in your schedule and help you to spend your downtime relaxing and not feeling the need to de-clutter the coffee table or mow the lawn.