BUSINESS SENSE
BY TIM THOELECKE, INOUT LABS
Affordable Outsourcing for The Small Business—or How to Clone Yourself
and a “specials” handout for the show. The website is in need of an update and your newsletter is overdue. As small business owners, we wear a lot of hats. We are
Y
responsible for generating new business and managing the business we have. We also have personal lives that can’t be neglected. We’re spread thin and wish we could clone ourselves. We don’t have the budget (or enough work) for full time help and we’re frankly too frazzled to think about everything at once. Fortunately, the Internet has some solutions that can solve
many of those issues—without breaking the bank. In many areas of the world, highly educated and very capable professionals will
ou need to get the bills paid, invoicing done and schedule your random drug tests. There is an exposition coming up and you need to redesign and print your brochures
work for a fraction of what a U.S.-based professional charges. You will even find some American or Canadian professionals who have day jobs in graphic design, web development, marketing or something else who freelance on their own time.
Some resources worth exploring Upwork (formerly ODesk and recently merged with
Elance.com)
Upwork is an online global digital marketplace for freelancers. Most products or services that can be produced and delivered without being physically present are available on Upwork. Examples include website design, data mining, data entry, brochure design, book or e-book editing, SEO or PPC management, call center services, file conversion, video editing, virtual assistance, mobile app development, telemarketing…you name it. If you can think of it, you can probably find a provider on Upwork. Create an account, write an RFP and put it out for bid. Interview candidates and select one.
Fiverr.com Anything for 5 bucks. Actually, not exactly, but it’s really cheap. Fiverr is by far the most fun to browse of these outsourcing sites.
People will do just about anything for a buck (or five!). For example: • “I will predict a custom fortune telling prophecy about your future.” • “I will send a text message to anyone for you.” • “I will write any message on my lips and take photo.” • “I will record an awesome Voice Over as Sean Connery.” • “I will put your picture or logo on a popular magazine cover.” There is truly some goofy stuff there, but maybe you can use a
caricature of yourself for marketing? Or you thought of a clever way to use a celebrity voice on your website or voicemail? If you want something offbeat, check out
Fiverr.com. On the professional side, Fiverr has plenty to offer. Most
projects are pretty well defined. That is, you don’t really put something out to bid. You decide what you want done and shop for a provider. Some projects are priced, for example, at $5 per page, or per
X seconds of video, or something along those lines, so it’s not really 5 bucks. But it’s usually very fair.
99designs.com 99 Designs is really interesting. Basically, you put up some prize money and designers from all over the world will submit options for you to choose from. The winner gets the cash. Categories are
20 datia focus Spring 2016
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