When you start an online business you can easily become attached to it. You love it like it’s one of your kids, which makes it super hard to start outsourcing – even if you really need to.
Letting go of certain tasks is not easy but it can be completely worth it. This is the first year where I’ve been serious about getting help and I am so grateful that I did.
Here are the things I outsource and how I got started.
What I Outsource
I started outsourcing earlier this year. My blog had gotten to a point where it was starting to bring in a consistent income and I was starting to see some serious potential. The problem was that I spent the majority of my time working for other people instead of on my own projects.
There were weeks, where after getting client work done, I just didn’t feel like touching my own stuff. I imagine this is a common problem for freelancers.
I wanted to keep regular posts on my blog and social media but needed to lessen the burden on myself, so I decided to start hiring stuff out.
At first this was really hard to do and I had no idea who to get to help. The first person who I got only lasted about two weeks! Then I was super lucky to get an email from Chonce and took her up on the offer. She has been amazing and I am so glad that I found her!
The next thing I was really having problems with was staying consistent on Pinterest. After taking Elite Blog Academy I started working Pinterest and doing really, really well with it. The problem though, is that it was so hard for me to keep up.
Every night after my girls went to bed I’d jump on Pinterest and start pinning. It took me anywhere from 30-60 mins. Then I’d miss a day, which led to missing two days, which led to missing a week, and then I wouldn’t want to get back on at all!
I wanted to keep getting traffic from Pinterest I just didn’t want to feel bound by it. I was super nervous to outsource anything social media related.
Then a little while after Gretchen opened up the Pinterest Assistant I made the plunge and handed over my Pinterest account to her.
I’m so glad that I did! She does an awesome job and her rates are super affordable. If you have less than 50 boards she’ll run your Pinterest account for $75 a month. That is a STEAL in my opinion because when it comes to Pinterest Gretchen really knows her stuff!
In addition to Chonce writing for the blog once a week she also helps me with my Facebook page. (We both get on there and schedule out stuff so that at least one thing a day gets posted.) And has also helped me clean up comments.
I’ve also had a good friend help me with other posts too.
Besides that I use Fiverr to get things like printables at $5/pop. (P.S. If you don’t currently have a Fiverr account you can go through this link to get one free gig.)
Tips for Outsourcing
Putting money back into your business is a great way to grow. In fact, I was super inspired to keep doing this after reading an article by Kyle Taylor on how he grew The Penny Hoarder into a $10 million per year blog! (Check out that article!)
My first attempt at outsourcing didn’t work so well. I feel like I’ve learned a lot since I started. My two main tips would be:
Find the Right People
Find people that you enjoy working with and that you can trust. Obviously, you need the person to have skills for the job as well.
Finding the right people is crucial and is probably the most important thing you can do.
Create Systems
When you have people helping you, create a system so that you’re on the same page. For instance, when it comes to writing Chonce and I share a Google Doc with post topics.
I make a list of all the different topics I want covered on my blog and she is free to choose whichever one she feels like writing about that week. Whenever one of us write about a topic on the list we just give it a strike through on the Google sheet so that we don’t both end up writing the same exact post.
This has been working out really well.
For Facebook I have instructions on how I choose/find posts to share as well as what type of posts do the best. We schedule one post for the same time everyday so it’s easy to hop on there and see what the other person has done.
It’s So Worth It
I waited until my blog was generating a consistent income before getting help and it has been completely worth it for me.
There’s a lot that goes into running a blog and by outsourcing the stuff that I really needed help with I haven’t had to stress out about letting things slip because now things are actually getting done – just not always by me! And I now have time to work on other things, like growing my business.
Related Online Business Posts:
- How to Earn More Money Through Ad Networks
- How to Increase Your Search Engine Traffic to Your Blog
- How to Track Your Business Income and Expenses
I outsource some work, but I am looking to eventually outsource more. I have a hard time with losing control but I know that it’s definitely what is best for my business!
Yes, it’s hard to give up control! I know there’s eventually a lot more I want to outsource but I feel like I need to earn more money first 🙂
I am in the process of taking Elite Blog Academy. Wow is it time consuming, especially when I have a full-time job and try to freelance on the side. When I am self-employed next month, I hope to really hit it hard (though, I waiver about whether I should just start a new site to apply what I learn).
I’m also concerned about what will happen with my site as I start to freelance full-time. I would much rather my own site grow, and truly work for myself than have 50 bosses in the form of clients. Hiring a little help on the back-end stuff (like Pinterest and social media) might be a good idea – once I have the money to do it 😉
Yes there’s definitely a lot in Elite Blog Academy. I started it last October and I still go back through some sections.
I COMPLETELY understand your frustrations about working, freelancing, and trying to grow your own blog. Freelancing brings in the money now, guaranteed, but a blog can potentially bring in way, way more money in the long run. (Plus, like you said when you’re freelancing you’re working for a bunch of different people rather than yourself.) The problem is actually having the energy to work on your projects after you’re done freelancing. And since making money blogging is such a long process it’s the ultimate catch-22.
Thanks for the kinds words Alexa! It’s been great working with you as well. I got my logo design from someone on Fiverr but I never though of using it for other things like printables. It’s such a good idea.
You’re welcome! I’m actually thinking of getting an eBook cover done Fiverr. I figure if it goes terribly wrong I’ll only be out $5 so I might as well give it a try.
Perfect timing, Alexa! I’m thankful that from the beginning I’ve had a little bit of play money to use for various apps, and I’ve loved having buffer and tailwind on my side. I’ve been playing with the idea of occasionally having someone write a post so that I can have few days off to do more long-term planning. I’ve been debating on trying Textbroker. Do you have any experience with using a site like that? I imagine that I’d still need to do a lot of polishing with something like that.
I used ODesk at one point for another site I was working on, never this one. The articles did need a lot of editing/rewriting but it was on a subject I didn’t really want to research so I decided it was worth it. If you need research done I think an option like that might be worth it.
This is a great information since it is something I think about. Like where would I find good help and such you know. You did great with Chonce. She’s a keeper. 🙂 As far as Fiverr is like I want to but I’m afraid I’ll find something wrong. Who do you recommend for printables?
Here’s a link to the person I use for printables https://www.fiverr.com/issasarza She has a lot of different gigs and does a good job. My budget binder printables page has been doing really well so in my opinion those printables were definitely money well spent 🙂
I am in the process of actually creating processes so that when the time comes I will be able to manage the transition efficiently.
That’s a very smart idea 🙂
This is a great post and thanks for introducing me to Chonce, off to read her blog now.
I’m currently considering outsourcing for my personal finance blog. I already run another blog which has taken up loads of my time recently and my PF blog has fallen by the wayside. Where would you recommend?
For me, I’ve been most comfortable by getting help from people I already know so I’d start with your own personal network or online friends and get recommendations 🙂
Thanks Alexa!
Sometimes you have to outsource, in order to use your time more productively. Concentrate on building the business AFTER you have a solid footing, which is what you have.
Hi again Alexa!
I am a huge fan of outsourcing SOME of the work. You really need to get your processes down, figure out what should be outsourced, and then manage the process. This gives you the ability to focus on what drives revenue to your business. We simply can’t do it all. The key is to stay focused on the bigger picture items while getting help to fill in the gaps.
By the way glad you connected with Chonce – I’m a fan she’s great!
Jason
You’re way ahead of me in the blog business, but I hope to one day be able to outsource some things. Thanks for sharing how you do it. I’m building my systems and templates now so I’ll be ready when the time comes.
Thanks so much for mentioning my services! My goals is to keep them affordable for bloggers who are starting to make money. I’m so happy that you’re loving the service!
I have not yet tried the outsourcing method since I just restarted my blog a few weeks ago. I have tried Fiverr and Iwriter once, but the writing needed to edit heavily. I figured unless I generate stable income, I start outsourcing because I know I can have more time doing other works.