If you’ve set up a business of your own in the last couple of years, you’re far from alone. Since the pandemic, a huge number of people have realized the uncertainty of employed positions and have found that this mode of work isn’t as secure or reliable as they originally believed. Running your own business can give you a much greater sense of control over what you’re doing, your income and your life’s career path. Of course, it takes a lot of work setting up and the vast majority of us will begin to feel a little protective about our company. It’s something that we’ve fostered and watched grow and we want to retain as much control over it as possible. But don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have to bear the whole weight of your business’ operations on your own shoulders. In fact, others’ help and assistance is going to prove an absolutely essential part of the entire path towards success. Here’s how to start accepting help from others to see your business thrive!
Consulting
A good first step when it comes to accepting outside help is consulting. When you consult someone about your business, they remain entirely outside of your company and can give you an outsider’s perspective on what’s working, what’s not and what may need to change to drive your company in the right direction. Consulting is more like a conversation with a useful mentor. You don’t have to take every piece of advice that is offered, but you can pick and choose what you feel is best for your company and its direction.
What is a Business Consultant?
Before choosing a business consultant to work with, it’s best to have a deep understanding of what they actually do. Put simply, a business consultant is a professional who has picked up and nurtured a vast variety of skills with the sole purpose of helping businesses to thrive. When you pair up with a business consultant, they will work with you to understand your goals and direction and to help you achieve what you have planned out in your mind. They will also be able to provide you with important information and insight into how you can maximize your business’ performance and efficiency, showing you where to invest money and effort and where you might want to scale back.
When to Work With a Business Consultant?
Of course, you can reach out to a business consultant at any point of your company’s formation or profession, but there are key points where their advice is more valuable and should really be sought out. Most businesses will best benefit from a consultant at their outset, as the consultant will be able to discuss your initial goals and highlight areas you might not have thought of. When you’re first starting out, you don’t know the usual pitfalls that can capture a lot of companies, while a consultant will have seen a variety of business’ ups and downs and will be able to warn you to hazards and dangers that may face you and your business along the way. You should also reach out to a business consultant at any point you’re considering changing your company’s goals and targets, or the direction of your company. For example, if you think that you might want to cater to a different target demographic, expand to an overseas market or go through a rebranding process. Consider a business consultant a catalyst for positive change and get in touch with yours when you are considering altering anything major in your business’ operations.
Outsourcing
A time will come when you’re faced with a task and don’t have the skill set to complete it. Of course, it’s essential that the task is completed – and to a high, professional level – so what do you do here? The answer is to outsource. Outsourcing is a low commitment way to bring in the help of professionals for your business’ benefit. You can outsource all sorts of elements of business operations, ranging from web design, to graphic design, manufacturing, accounting, financial management or something more niche like a higher education enterprise solution. When you outsource, you don’t have to commit to hiring someone and all of the responsibility that comes with this. Instead, you simply create a contract that works for both parties or assign one off projects.
Where to Find Freelancers and Agencies?
If you’re going to outsource, you may be wondering where to find the people to do the job. There are, of course, countless options here – and the best for you will depend on your business’ individual needs and requirements. If you have a low budget, you may want to consider posting on a jobs board or browsing sites like LinkedIn, reaching out to people who can potentially meet your needs. If you have a higher budget, using an agency usually cuts out a lot of the work, as they already have a qualified and experienced team on board who can get started right away. Whatever option you go for, it’s a good idea to make sure you read reviews and get others’ feedback on the service provided. Most freelancers and agencies will be more than happy to provide references or reviews, as well as portfolios of their recent work to give you confidence in their abilities and professional.
Hiring
Of course, the day will come when you do need to hire some more permanent members of staff. This is likely when your business has consistent demand and is generating sufficient profits to justify paying ongoing salaries – so this is good news and an exciting step in your company’s progression when you do reach it! Of course, you want to make sure that you hire the right individuals for the role. Not only do you want them to be qualified and experienced, but you should make sure that they are a good cultural and personality fit for your company too. Building a strong team who can work together well will really contribute to your company’s success!
Using a Recruitment Company
Of course, you can hire yourself, but chances are you’ll have a hard time reaching the best candidates. Sure, you can post up on jobs boards, but remember how many people are looking for work right now and consider whether you’ll actually have the capacity to get through all of the applications alongside your usual daily activities. Often, hundreds or even thousands of candidates will come through for any single job and it can be extremely time consuming to sift out the ones who meet your outlined needs and requirements. This is where the majority of small businesses find that using a recruitment agency comes in useful. Some will already have potential candidates who they’ve already vetted and can pass over to you. Others will be able to more actively seek out quality candidates and dedicate their time to finding someone right for the role. Sure, they come with a fee, but often, the results are more than worth the investment.
Sure, it may be hard letting responsibility into other peoples’ hands, but nobody can run an entire company solo. At some point, you’ll find that the demand of keeping your company afloat, never mind progressing forward, becomes excessive and you’ll need some helping pairs of hands to get you along the way. Hopefully, some of the information above will guide you and help you release some pressure!
