Small business owners have a lot of things to do.  And even the most hardcore owner still has to sleep once in a while.  So, when the going gets tough, which is the best option: hire help or outsource the workload?

Each option has its attractions.  While the long term goal should be to implement as much automation into your business’s daily tasks, often you need *something* to take up the slack right now, and that means getting humans involved.  Even implementing automation to replace humans means you need to either hire someone to build the automation or pay a third party to create it for you.

So, which direction is best for you?

There isn’t an easy answer, because everything depends on your particular business and what it does.

However, in the business tasks that every business must do, that’s where outsourcing can be the most effective and convenient.  Tasks such as payroll, taxes, social media management and even janitorial work can all be done by highly competent third parties that specialize in what you need.  They already have the staff and experience to execute effectively.  This eliminates the need for you to sort through resumes and conduct interviews to find a candidate to hire for the business, and you don’t need to supervise or train either.  You simply need to keep tabs on what the third party is doing (never, ever just assume they are doing what you need – double check their work periodically) and you can free up more of your resources for growing and maintaining the business itself.

On the flip side, if there is a task that only you can do for your business, such as monitoring and creating a marketing strategy unique to what you do, which takes a deep understanding of the business, and adopting the mission of it, then you need to look at hiring someone to work inside the business.  Certainly, you could hire a marketing company, but you would need to invest time into ensuring they understand what your business does.  There is a certain level of disconnect between a third party, and someone who is right there in the thick of it with you, learning directly from you.  Getting that person truly connected with your vision means they can then either tackle the marketing or work with a third party to direct their efforts, again freeing your time and energy for other tasks.

Either way, the goal is the same: take some tasks off your small business plate and give it others so you can focus your energies elsewhere.  Whether you outsource or hire, it will depend on what you need done, and how much impact it will have on your business doing what it does best.