5 Things You Can Outsource to Create Margin

I pushed against outsourcing for a LONG time because the idea of paying someone to do something I, technically, can do seemed unnecessary and too costly. However, I quickly came to the realization that I can’t do everything, and outsourcing no longer seemed like a luxury, it became a necessity. The initial money loss seems overwhelming or burdensome. I get it. However, once I saw how my family’s quality of life drastically changed, it’s no longer a cost, but an investment–and a dang good one at that. Here are 5 things you can outsource to create margin:

BOOK KEEPING:

Lawd, numbers are not my strength, and as soon as I started seeing growth in my business, and Uncle Sam came knocking, I realized it was time to call in the troops. The first time we hired a financial team to do our taxes, we received a tax bill that instantly put us both in tears.  We were newly married, and watched the majority of our life savings go up in flames. I knew right away I needed help with bookkeeping, because I wanted to 1) prevent that from ever happening again, and 2) I never wanted to stress out about taxes, business costs, money flow, payroll, 1099’s, or anything else money related EVER AGAIN.

Our financial team now handles daily bookkeeping, employee checks, payroll, quarterly taxes, and everything in between. We always know exactly where we stand, and we get this amazing breakdown every month showing every possible detail you could imagine. We can see our yearly growth, and figure out what to cut to make our business more cost efficient.  The best part? Tax season is a breeze.

Running a business doesn’t mean you have to be good at everything. There are people for that.

HOUSE CLEANING:

People work full time and keep their house clean, right? Well, I could not, and there is no shame in that. YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING—especially if you are forging your way through business ownership. Brandon and I are very protective of our time together since it’s not a ton, and deep cleaning is not our idea of quality time. Our home is my safe place, so it’s important to me it’s taken care of. We hired a house cleaner, and y’all, this changed my life. It also eliminated the majority of our marital “tiffs”. 😉 She’s become a part of our family, and is easily one of my (and our pup, Copper’s) favorite people. I don’t think she will ever truly know how thankful I am for her!     

DINNER:

 M shoots are around dinner time, so Brandon and I rarely got to eat together. It was every man for himself each night. We like GOOD food and we are healthy eaters, so eating out was definitely adding up.   I knew if I could give Brandon step by step instructions and everything he needed, cooking was a task he could take over (which is a form of outsourcing—see what I did there). Thanks to Hello Fresh, dinner takes 30 minutes and is ready when I get home from shoots. It’s the most glorious thing!! I love that man! You can get $40 off your first Hello Fresh box!

ADMIN:

One of my greatest hires was our executive assistant Michele. She handles my day to day schedule, client booking + scheduling, travel logistics, and email filtering. It’s a flexible position that can work from anywhere, and a position I encourage ANYONE who needs some margin to create. You don’t have to have a crazy amount of hours—just figure out what works for you. You’ll be surprised how much you can take off your plate with just a few hours a week.

“ABOVE AND BEYOND” TASKS:

There are plenty of students who can use experience with YOUR business for school credit! We love to send clients unexpected little treats, and those “extra mile” tasks can easily slip through the cracks, yet are easy for an intern. Check with your local high school or college for intern availability It’s a win, win my friend.

I can’t tell you the impact outsourcing these 5 things has on our quality of life.  It allows more time for doing what we love, and most importantly, more time together.  You know the saying, “don’t work harder, work smarter”, and outsourcing to create margin is one of the most efficient ways to do that!

Take care of yourself,

-a