OUTSOURCE

For me, this post has to do with money, hence the image, but for you it may be something else entirely.

Outsource is considered a dirty word in the craft community especially. We associate it with allowing our products to made by people in China that do not get paid a living wage, but I believe used the right way, it can be a useful tool.

When I advocate outsourcing, I am talking about paying someone else to do what you do not have the time to do or learn to do. When I started thinking about accounting & business taxes, I quickly realized that not only did I not have that particular skill set, but that it would take me too long to learn it. It was and still is to my best advantage to hire a CPA to do my taxes for me. This also ensures that I don't unknowingly break the law.

Another example is putting together a website. I was able to use my limited knowledge of websites to design my own: avie.designs@gmail.com, but it was not worth my time to try and build it myself, so I outsourced. I do know how to build a website, but it would have taken me months to figure it out again.

If you are the only person working in your company, that means that your time is the most valuable thing you have. You have to realize when you are spending too much time and energy on something that someone else can do for you. You have a particular skill set and you should spend your time in the best, most effective way for your company.

When you are just getting your business off the ground, it can be tempting to save money by doing everything yourself, but some things are better left to the professionals.

Lastly, please don't forget Help Haiti by purchasing a calendar and have your $20 donated to http://yele.org/
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*If you have a tip or a business question that you think I should feature in this section, please contact me at avie.designs@gmail.com with the subject: blog.smart biz