Working as a freelancer or solopreneur, it is easy to get caught up in the day-to-day work of the business. Sometimes, we can miss the markers that indicate it is time to grow or scale. Today, I will discuss the signs you are ready to scale by outsourcing and boost your growth.
“Outsourcing is a powerful tool for businesses looking to scale rapidly, allowing them to increase capacity and adapt to changing market demands without the usual hurdles of traditional hiring.”
GOOGLE AI (search: “scaling by outsourcing”)
Signs That Signify You Are Ready
There can be many signs signifying you are ready. Some of these signs may be:
- Feeling overworked
- Your client load is full
- Starting work early
- Wanting to add new services
- Falling asleep on your Laptop at night
- You cannot accept new clients
- No time for your family or friends
- Your revenue has flatlined
- Cannot remember the last time you took a day off
- Want to offer additional service types
- Missing deadlines
- Frustrated and Stressed
How many of these ‘few’ items could you check off?
It doesn’t happen all at once, but gradually. It feels like it happened all of a sudden, but the truth is it has snuck up on you. A little at a time, as you took on more work and more responsibilities. Now you are sitting there looking at that list and wondering how you can begin to change things.
Relax, that’s why I want to address your current problem(s)!.
Full Client Load
Congratulations if you have a full or nearly full client load; that is wonderful. It feels good, doesn’t it? Soak that in for a moment because we must acknowledge our wins in business.
Now, the full client load can be a problem because what happens, as a freelancer or solopreneur, if you are sick with the flu for days? You will probably be:
- You cannot answer emails
- Unable to take urgent requests on social channels
- Unable to answer client calls or Zoom meetings
- Feeling horrible and held up in bed
Worse yet, what if you end up in the hospital? You see where I am going with this, right?
The thing is that I have been there, in the hospital, for a week, so sick I didn’t even want to see my laptop. I missed my mastermind group coaching groups and didn’t let them know I wouldn’t be there because I was too sick. I finally remembered very late in the day and groggily asked my husband to message them. Thankfully, I had them grouped, so he was able to find their names easily.
What is your business saying to you if you have a full client load?
One of the first things that should come to mind is that you need help!
Get Your FREE Boost Your Growth by Outsourcing Checklist Today
This checklist will allow you to:
- Receive help with my new W-O-N-D-E-R System
- Learn to recognize the signs telling you it’s time to outsource
- Figure out what order you should delegate your tasks
Download your free checklist today
Feeling Overworked
Perhaps you are like me, a recovering perfectionist, unable to admit when I need help. If this is not you, then you still should consider why you feel this way.
You may not think you don’t need anyone else, but the truth is that you will not grow from here if you do not get help.
Having no time off, starting your workday super early, or falling asleep on your laptop at night are signs that there is frustration and stress in your work life.
That’s why I love helping women grow a business to fit their lifestyle, not squeeze their life around their business.
Set Up a Free 20-Minute Coaching Session
Feeling overworked, combined with the other symptoms described, is a big red flag indicating something must change soon. My recommendation would be to begin adding one team member at a time to grow. This will also help you earn more and work less.
Missing Deadlines
When you feel overworked and stressed, you may also find that you are missing deadlines. When you have maxed out your client intake, it often also means you’ve taken on too much work. Overcommitting can lead to our missing deadlines.
Using a project management system can you space out your work better so that you can stay on top of your work and your deadlines.
Flatlined Revenue
This one is not often talked about, but is an important one, nonetheless. Many of us have found this to be true. What does it mean to flatline in your revenue?
As you are growing along you will more than likely come to a place where you cannot accept any additional clients, because you will have a full book of business. This often feels great to get to this point however, there are also dangers with it.
Once you reach your maximum capacity with clients, it also means that you have reached your business’s maximum capacity in revenue. All of that equals a flatlined revenue.
You cannot grow your revenue unless you begin to add a team that can help you with your clients. If you choose to do this, it will open up the capacity for more clients, which, of course, means your revenue can increase as well.
Want to Add New Services
As clients grow their business, they generally ask for our help with other services. For example, when I was a virtual assistant, I had a couple of clients begin to ask if I provided social media services. Initially, I did not, however, I quickly realized that many of my clients could use this service. Therefore, I started taking courses on social media to learn more, and so I could offer this service to my clients.
Another way to offer services you do not have the skills to do is to bring on a team member with these skills. She/He can offer the services under your business as a subcontractor to you and your clients.
Signs You Are Ready
These are a few of the signs indicating that you are ready to outsource and build your team of subcontractors. It will not only help grow your business but also help you grow your revenue.
If any of these signs are areas you are struggling in and cannot seem to move forward and build your team, set up a session with me. I’ll be happy to discuss ways to do this. This is an area I specialize in and would love to help you.
