When should your small business outsource?
November 13th, 2007 by 
Chris Harris
We help startups outsource in order to get to market faster, reduce their costs, and scale up. You might find it surprising that we don’t tell every startup that they should be working with us. Like all companies, we spend a certain amount of time stepping back and asking ourselves who our best customers are - and why.
- Why do certain clients seem to get more out of the relationship with us than others?
- What kinds of clients seem to benefit the most from outsourcing?
- How can we help all of our clients get more out of working with us?
The companies that get the least out of outsourcing, and consequentially the least out of working with us, are the ones with a more scattered vision of the future.
Outsourcing is so powerful for startups that need to accelerate. In much the same way that raising VC money can provide the jet fuel needed to catapult a company to the next level, deciding to outsource can really propel your company to accomplish more in much less time. It compresses the time to market.
Like any accelerator though, this can backfire if your aim is bad!
If your business hasn’t figured out what you need, what your customers require, or what form it needs to take - you can spend a lot of money building the wrong thing. When we find customers who are less sure about what they want or how it should look or behave, we give them the following advice:
- Take stock in what your value proposition is to your easiest to reach customers
- Validate, with each other or customers, which features are required
- Focus on getting that accomplished, shelve the other ideas
Getting customers to pay for things is how you ultimately validate your products and your business. Once you’re sure that customers will need and pay for whatever you need built - then it’s time to hit the gas pedal - outsource as much as you can as fast as you can!
Posted in Bootstrapping, Outsourcing, Start-up, Technology | 
November 19th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
[…] When Should Your Small Business Outsource? by Chris Harris […]
November 19th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Hello!
I’ve chosen this blog post in my latest carnival:
http://bsetc.ca/blog/2007/11/19/internet-marketing-virtual-assistance-blog-carnival-results/
Thank you!
Erin Blaskie
http://www.bsetc.ca
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