4 Functions You Can Outsource to Streamline Your Small Business

Owning and running a small business can be incredibly demanding. As accepted by those who have made it in the industry, the best advice is to focus on the core of the business. Doing what you do best and leaving the rest to others. Outsourcing as a form of flexible specialization and managed service is a growing modern business trend that provides a solution in this regard. It is one of the best ways to streamline small business functions as you look to reduce costs, improve systems and positively affect your bottom line.

Here are the top four business functions that all small businesses should consider outsourcing.

1.  Information technology

The modern world is based on information and the technology to use, access, and manage such data and information. For any small business to succeed, you will need to ensure that you have the best tech in the way of hardware, software, and the people to manage these. Be clear as to what it is that you need to outsource, and perhaps the first step in this regard will be to perform a clear IT audit to determine the specific needs of your small business. Once this has been determined, only then can you focus on appropriate IT maintenance. You will likely need professional IT support services as one of the best outsourced business functions, given how absolutely critical IT is for any small business.

2.   Finance, bookkeeping, tax returns

Finance as a business function is one that can be outsourced successfully as long as you have the internal systems to record and systemize all payments, income, and transactions thereof to allow for professional-level external accounting. Try to keep financial reporting continuity by having the same company do the tax returns for as long as they provide the professional service you need. Most importantly, outsourcing your finance function will be a money saver compared to having an internal finance expert. As long as you ensure that the basic bookkeeping is done in-house to run and manage the daily finances and keep the requisite records, outsourcing the other financial responsibilities is a sure-fire way to streamline the small business.

3.  Marketing, social media

Marketing and social media have become synonymous with each other, and as such, they are functions that are easily outsourced together. The establishment, management, and maintenance of a social media marketplace and the related opportunities are arguably only going to be realized if you have the best people working on this for your business. The aim is to literally have a professional or team of professionals who will take over your business's social media accounts considerably. They will spend time researching and then posting relevant content and building your brand in the most professional and impactful way possible. This will release you and your own internal staff from establishing the appropriate kind of social media platforms for the business or sector and then monitoring, maintaining, and reporting on the progress thereof. However, it is useful to have internal staff trained as part of this marketing and social media outsourcing process so that you will eventually be able to take over some of the related monitoring tasks.

4.  Logistics and transport

If your business needs to get products to customers and consumers, then you will need professional transport solutions. There is no point in investing in all the infrastructure, vehicles, and staffing when someone else has this as their primary function and will be able to do it much cheaper and seamlessly. A logistics partner must be able to establish and maintain the supply chain. It must be a dependable company in that they will form a vital part of the business as no matter how great the product or service, if it doesn’t get to the customer in one piece or on time, you’re fighting a losing battle.

Know when and what to outsource

The secret for any small business to keep in mind is that there is a time to outsource the various business functions mentioned here. The worst thing that you could do would be to simply rush out to outsource based on trends in your sector and location. You must be able to do your research and determine exactly which of these business functions need assistance and thus outsourcing, why, and when. I.e., don’t set up the logistics and transport contracts before you have the product and marketing sorted. Look for those who offer to pay as you need systems and assistance, paying only when you need the support or service and only for that specific service.

Outsourcing the small business functions is the only way that you will get the most from your business (streamline) and be able to take your brand as far as it will go. As mentioned, starting a business can be very taxing, and many won’t make it through the first year. The ability to determine when you need help in the business functions mentioned in this article and what type of help this is and then secure the appropriate professional will be key.