How Delegation and Outsourcing Can Relieve Your Occupational Stress

Sarah Banks of Banks’ Business Solutions provides outsourced support to sole traders and small businesses. She has been providing admin and marketing support to Body Mechanics for just over two years, so we know first hand how valuable getting support is.

This article is aimed at those with small business or who work alone and are looking at how they can relieve some of the stress associated with being a business owner.

In the corporate world, it’s natural to delegate, indeed it’s encouraged. It’s widely understood that working as a team, with the best individual for each task doing their work to the best of their ability, enables projects to be completed successfully. It doesn’t matter what the industry, whether it’s a café, a hospital or a firm of solicitors, this is the working practice we’ve come to accept as best practice.

But in the world of self-employment, we’re no longer part of a team with a manager for support and colleagues to share the workload with. We’ve stepped out on our own and often, that means we feel we have to do everything alone. There’s a tendency to take on every task ourselves, whether we know how to do it or not, whether we have the time to do it or not, and this is a major source of stress for the self-employed and freelance community.

Around 60% of new businesses fail within five years, and 20% of that number within the first year. Commonly cited reasons for these failures are a lack of business plan and poor cash flow, but there’s one factor that doesn’t get talked about so much - stress.

Outsourcings vs hiring - how to get it right

It can be stressful going through the outsourcing process and finding the right people to make up your business team, so here are some key considerations to bear in mind:

Understand IR35 regulations

If you’re hiring someone and treating them as an employee, but paying them as a contractor, you might be falling foul of IR35 regulations. In a nutshell who you outsource to, should set their own hours, methods of working, be able to outsource that work themselves if needed (i.e., it’s what they do you’re paying for, not the individual), and the arrangement ends when the work is complete. The regulations do come with some costly fines so make sure you understand them thoroughly, and check with your accountant for their advice.

Ensure your freelancer is properly setup

It can be scary entrusting your business activities to someone else, but do you know how to tell if they’re prepared for the job? Working from home has become the norm, so don’t be concerned if you see their kitchen or living room on camera, but do ensure they have insurance, a contract that covers you both, a good understanding of what you’re trying to achieve, and that they offer their own ideas and suggestions on ways to make it happen.

Remember, you’re outsourcing to a professional not an employee.

Understand what you can outsource

Really, any part of your business can be outsourced to a freelancer or other small business owner. Some of my clients outsource the tasks they hate, others outsource the tasks that take them a long time to complete, others will outsource additional services to a freelancer so they can offer their clients more, like SEO services if you’re a web designer, for example.

Consider what’s causing you the most stress in your work life right now.

• Is it not enough time or energy to get everything done?
• Is it not having the skills or knowledge to complete essential tasks?
• Do you simply want to devote your entire work hours to your clients and outsource everything else?

The answers to these questions should guide you toward the kinds of tasks that are ideal for outsourcing for your business. Generally, tasks can be split into the following areas:

As an online business manager, I help business owners save time by simplifying the technology they use, but also by identifying the tasks they can outsource and how to find the right freelancer or business to ensure this delegation is a success. I guide my clients through what they’re trying to achieve and the best way for them to do that, in alignment with their own values and goals.

I’d love to help you save time, resources and free yourself from some of the stresses of being self-employed through delegation. To find out more, why not hop on a call with me and see what you could achieve through outsourcing.