As
a small business owner, does the following paragraph
sound familiar to you…?
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"Other than doing the technical ‘fix-its’
with my computer…I do it all! I have found that this
keeps me very limited in growing my business and taking
on new clients. I wish I had someone to help but how can
I justify hiring someone when I can do the work
myself…when I have the time?"
This is a very common issue for many small business
owners. All the work, whether revenue generating or not,
needs to be done to keep the business running smoothly.
We need to reconnect with our goals for our business
and our vision for its future. We need to focus on why
we started this business in the first place. Focusing
includes deciding how much our time is worth.
But, how do you put a value on your time? How much is
each hour of each day worth, especially when you are
doing projects that are not generating revenue or
increasing your customer base?
Is your time worth $25, $50, $100 per hour….or
more? When you get busy doing those tasks that don’t
directly generate revenue, consider how much it is
costing you.
For example:
You charge $75 per hour for your services/time. You
spend a total of 5 hours trying to catch up on your
correspondence…entering information into a database,
typing and re-typing your letters and preparing them to
be mailed.
$75/hr X 5 hours = $375.00 of your valuable time and
profit
If it would cost you less to outsource, why not do
it? Why not allow a professional to handle some of your
tasks leaving you with more time to generate revenue?
$25/hr (sample cost to outsource administrative
tasks) X 5 hours = $125.00
$375 - $125 = $250 + the $ of the contract you signed
while a professional took care of the non-revenue
generating tasks.
Although you are spending some of your hard earned
money, you are gaining so much more. Outsourcing gives
you professional assistance, which in turn saves you
both time and money...the two things that most small
business owners need more of.
About the
Author:
Janice Byer is
the founder of Docu-Type Administrative Services, an
off-site office assistance company that specializes in
word processing, desktop publishing and website
development. Visit http://www.docutype.net
or call 905-584-1746 to learn how they can help you with
your office overflow, giving you back some of your
revenue generating time.