WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WISH YOU COULD OUTSOURCE?
Calgary entrepreneurs talk about how they’d free up time
“Definitely all my design and marketing requirements. That is not my strong point, I don’t enjoy it and it takes me way more time than I have. In the long run it actually costs me more to do it myself as it takes me four times the amount of time a graphic designer would take!” Jackie Appleby, virtual assistant, Dilligent Assistant, diligentassistant.ca
“Budgeting. We are a small business, but budgeting is still important of course. Having someone who can ask insightful questions to work up our budget would be a great mind and time clearer.” Mark Laurie, owner, Inner Spirit Photography, innerspiritphoto.com
“I’m actually on the other side of this question. I have clients that outsource their digital marketing and administrative tasks to me. They outsource because they either don’t have the time or the expertise. My clients recognize that outsourcing certain tasks to a specialist is more cost-effective and less frustrating than doing it themselves. It’s really no different than outsourcing your car maintenance, plumbing, accounting, or caffeine needs.” Brandi Esler, owner, A Better Way Virtual Assistant Inc., abetterwayva.com
“There is a simple and obvious answer to this for me — social media! For any business that is active in social media, you know how long a single post, much less general maintenance and updating, can take. From selecting images that are captivating to writing descriptions that are informative (yet interesting) — it can eat up valuable time every single day. However, handing off the reins would be difficult because I would have to ensure that the brand, and essentially my personality, wouldn’t be lost.” Alayne Lebsack, proprietor, Apostle Boutique, apostleboutique.com
“I would definitely hire a driver! Imagine the extra productivity we would have if we didn’t have to drive ourselves to meetings, appointments and the like. We could work in the back seat on the computer/ iPad, take calls, rearrange schedules, answer emails, write or read articles, develop more strategies for our business or even have a much needed nap. The road-rage stress would melt away and be replaced with a productivity of our choice. It would be heavenly.” Judith Ethier, CEO, founder and strategic expert, Tomorrow Strategic Inc., tomorrowstrategic.com
“I tend to look at this question in the reverse. What are those essential tasks I can’t outsource? When it comes to running a business and leading teams, one needs to understand where they add the greatest value in their business and where their strengths lie. Understanding these two concepts, you begin to understand what is the best use of your time. Focus on these areas and the essentials. Delegate everything else. You might be the best at these tasks, but if they aren’t high value tasks, it’s a poor use of time. Instead, delegate and lead your teams to become masterful in these areas. Then reap the benefits of the value created.” Kyle McLeod, executive coach and managing director, Coach To Excel, coachtoexcel.com
“Effectively answering my emails! I limit how much time I spend on emails already, but it’s time-consuming to check emails and respond properly.” Sara Dasko, CEO, Free Mind, freemindls.com For more answers, head over to calgaryherald.com/capitalideas.
These answers are in response to a question posed by Teresa Clouston, executive vice-president of ATB Business (atb.com/ business). Here’s her advice:
“I’ve had this abrupt, impactful personal realization in the last couple of weeks: I am frugal. My upbringing, which valued hard work, waste-not-want not, and the personal satisfaction of doing things yourself has something to do with this. But as my world evolves and increases in complexity, there are more things I find challenging to get done. Not investing in the right resources has a cost that can outweigh the up-front expense. What are the mistakes made and opportunities missed? When is the inevitable exhaustion of the resources you already have (including personal health and wellness)? Can your business afford this? Identifying what you’re willing to let go of is not easy – but well worth a bit of quiet time spent considering, ‘What if I approached this differently? What might I or my business accomplish if someone else were doing some of the things I am today?’” If you have a question you’d like to ask the Capital Ideas community, submit it today at capitalideascalgary.com/ask.