5 Outsourced Tasks to Reclaim Your Day: Small Business Edition

Small business owners wear thousands of hats. But deep down, every owner knows that they went into business because they have a passion for what they do, not because they wanted to manage dozens of administrative tasks required to get the job done.

That, however, isn’t a bad thing. Today’s gig economy makes it easy to find a professional contractor to tackle just about any task. Now business owners just have to decide which duties to hand off to an expert. We recommend the following:

1. Outsourced Task: Website Design

Unless you’re an ecommerce company and need someone with mad developer skills 24/7, let the pros handle this one. Your site will be quickly and professionally written, designed, coded and with fewer bugs or broken links than if you take the DIY route. In essence, you’ll have a whole team of experts at your disposal but only be paying the crew for the time spent on your small project.

2. Outsourced Task: Accounting

Because businesses generally operate under standard accounting principles, it’s relatively simple to plug a person with decades of experience into this role. It’s affordable, too, since you’ll likely only pay for the services you’re using. And with the rise in secure cloud-based work systems, an accountant or bookkeeper can work remotely.  Want more than just a part-time accounts payable person? Consider outsourcing other accounting-related tasks such as payroll (see #3 for details).

3. Outsourced Task: Employee Administration

How much of your time is spent recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, writing employee procedures and manuals, juggling time off, and handling payroll and employee benefits? Every company can benefit from outsourcing HR to a Professional Employer Organization, or PEO. A PEO can take on payroll, benefits administration, workers' comp, recruiting and hiring, and the liability associated with these tasks. Plus, when you outsource instead of hire within, you get an entire team of professionals and specialists at a price that scales with your company’s needs.

4. Outsourced Task: Tax Prep

For most businesses, a tax pro can handle your taxes faster, more accurately, and save you money in the process. They’ll also represent you in case of questions or audits, which can be a huge relief. It’s worth every dime they’ll save you.

5. Outsourced Task: Janitorial / Housekeeping

You’ve got bigger issues to tackle than the lunchroom microwave… but somebody has to do it. You also really need someone to mop the floors in the bathrooms, replace light bulbs, keep the lobby looking good for visitors, and do just about everything else involved in making the workplace livable. This one’s a must. Trust us, your team will be thrilled that you brought in a pro.

Great managers know that building a successful team means delegating tasks to responsible team members. 

Related articles:

• What to Look For In The Best Payroll And HR Companies For Small Businesses
• Estimated Time on HR: Administration Tasks
• Breaking Through People Problems to Ensure Long-Term Viability
• Study: The ROI of Using a PEO