There comes the point in every business where you spend more time working in your business rather than working on your business. You are overwhelmed by all the minutia of running your business. The good news is you’re successful; the bad news is you are on the verge of burnout. Many of our clients tell us, “I’ve worked so hard to get to this point, but now all I want to do is quit.” It may be time to outsource some of your business functions so that you can focus on new opportunities and clients.
So, how do you decide when to outsource? This is your baby; you’ve worked hard to build trust with your clients. Are you ready to turn it over to a third party? If you don’t, can you keep going at this pace? These are legitimate concerns. Nobody will care about your business the way you do. And maybe that’s OK. They don’t need to.
What is your time worth?
I ask overwhelmed entrepreneurs, “Is what you are doing the best use of your time? For example, if I bill out at $150 hourly, and I still do my bookkeeping, which takes me 3-4 hours a month – can I outsource it to a reliable service provider for less than that – a trusted partner such as ZumiFi Bookkeeping – a virtual bookkeeping service specializing in QuickBooks Online. If a local bookkeeper charges me $200 for 4 hours a month for my bookkeeping needs, I save potentially make $400 if I take those same hours and create billable hours. That doesn’t even factor in the headaches of keeping my books, payroll, and filing deadlines. I hand it over to a trusted partner, and I am free to focus on revenue-generating and business building.
Is bookkeeping the best use of my time? If the answer is no, I should consider outsourcing it.
Leave it to the professionals.
Many of our eCommerce clients have been able to build amazing online brands. And yet, they spend a good portion of their day shipping orders. Of course, the fact that you are shipping orders is a great thing. But is packing boxes, running to the post office, and dealing with returns the best use of their time? Probably not. Fulfillment and logistics are part of any successful online business, but that doesn’t mean the small business owner needs to do it themselves.
Wouldn’t it be better to generate new leads, close deals, and create brand awareness? Why not leave the logistics to a 3PL provider like Shipsters? They are a trusted fulfillment partner allowing you to “Spend less time shipping, and more time growing.” They handle all Direct-to-Consumer services, including international shipping and return management. They handle exchanges and returns to ensure your customer experience is beyond reproach.
Shipsters ensure you are continuously updated on your shipping statuses and prides itself on no hidden fees. So see, your life is getting easier already.
Play to your strengths
We didn’t get into eCommerce because we enjoyed bookkeeping or logistics. We can do it, but we cannot best serve our clients. Our customers come to Understanding eCommerce because they want to create brand awareness. It is what we do – Build, Grow and Convert. And we partner with trusted service providers because they are experts at what they do, which makes us look good. Further, these partners free up our time to grow our business, serve our clients, and focus on working on our business instead of in it.
