In business, knowing what you don’t know is a valuable skill. When you are aware that you have gaps in your knowledge, you can take the steps you need to ensure that the issue is addressed– and thus your business stands the best chance of succeeding.
It is widely accepted that when you encounter an area of your business that you don’t understand, outsourcing is one of the most beneficial ways to resolve the issue. However, there is one major downside to outsourcing: it’s incredibly expensive.
For some businesses, outsourcing is not an expense that they can absorb. If you’re just starting out, you might love the idea of employing an SEO specialist or a content writer for your website, but you just outright can’t afford it. If you find yourself facing this situation, what can you do to ensure your business doesn’t suffer for the gap in your knowledge?
The Best Option: Learn
Your first resource should be your mind, your ability to learn, and how well you know your business. If there’s an area of your company that needs work, then it’s worth considering if you could learn to do it for yourself.
This choice isn’t an easy one. It’s nigh-on impossible for you, an amateur, to learn to do the work of an SEO expert or content writer, especially when the professionals have years more experience than you. However, that’s not to say you can’t be quite good at these things.
There’s plenty of help available without direct outsourcing if you know where to look. If you’re in need of SEO, then you can look to use Website Rocket for your small business website and the improvements you want to make. If you need to learn to write decent content, then there’s plenty of advice guides and ebooks that will help you improve your writing. You will find the same level of resources and tools available for literally any problem you can outsource– you just need to take the time to study and learn how to use them.
The Moderate Option: Make Do
If you don’t have the time or can’t afford even the moderate investment required to learn for yourself, then you might be forced to just make do with what you have.
If this is the case for you, then make the most of the free tools available online. Join forums and talk to other business owners, asking how they navigated the business issue you’re experiencing.
Of course, if time is the issue, then you will find the above time-consuming. It might be worth seeing if there are any other business areas where you can scale back, giving you more time to explain your options.
The Bad Option: Forget It
If you’re strapped for time and cash, and there’s no more cutbacks you can make, you may decide to just dismiss the issue you’re experiencing. “Who needs SEO anyway?” you shrug, “as for content writing, I’m sure I can scramble something together…”
This is a bad decision. You initially thought about outsourcing because you knew you needed help. It’s dangerous to suddenly come to the conclusion that you don’t. Business requires you to think strategically, find time in your schedule when needed, and invest in your future success– so find a workaround, and your business will be all the better for it.