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Have you been interested in outsourcing or maybe you're creeping up to that moment? Either category, I believe us business owners should get to the place where outside help is needed and a benefit. I'm very passionate about team building so get ready for some major outsourcing tips for hiring your first contractors!

Before jumping into it I want to give you a FREE resource to help level up your mini sessions game! You can make more with your mini sessions, so this resource will help you make your first $3,000 on a single set of minis. It's called $3K Mini Sessions Blueprint and here's one of the best parts – you can reuse it over and over again! Now let's dive in to these outsourcing tips…

What is a Contractor

Let's define this. This is not someone who is who is an employee (part-time or full time). They are paid on a retainer basis. Maybe it's monthly and they are required to do a set number of hours, etc. This may look like an editor, a copy writer, an administrative assistant or a social media manager.

Let me shatter the idea that you can do everything. Sorry! But we all are limited to a 24 hour day and it shouldn't be spent 100% on your business or hobby. Many of us are moms or work other jobs. The business shouldn't be built on you and you alone. Want to know why? Burnout. It's ok to need help! The best business owners beat burnout by growing their team. Here are some tips for hiring your first contractors:

Write Out EVERYTHING You Do

When you're thinking of hiring your first contractors think about ALL the things you do. Write them down from biggest to smallest, don't leave anything out. What takes up the most time? Now, circle the things only you can do. Before you start circling the entire list hear me out. Some people think they are the only ones who can respond to emails or post on social media… Listen, people are talented to match your brand voice. So don't trip yourself up in the thought process that you should be doing this or that. Delegation is a blessing. Here's my rule of thumb: if someone can do something 80% as good as you can, then you can outsource it!

Record Your Processes for Easier Training

If you're thinking in the next 6-12 months you'd like to hire, start recording your processes. My team LOVES using loom. This program is free, it has a chrome plugin that you can use, but basically allows you to record yourself. You can talk while screen recording to explain what you're doing and how. So, start recording what you want to train someone on and when the time comes to hire you can have them utilize these videos! Trust me, training just got a whole lot easier. You can put together a whole library of training videos to avoid having to sync up schedules with your new hire to walk them through something! Literally one of the most convenient outsourcing tips!

Start Small

Don't overshoot your hire. A lot of contractors have packages you can choose from. My first hire's smallest package was 10 hrs/month for like $30/hr. What could you do with those extra 10 hours a month? Book an extra session and pay for the contractor and you already “bought” yourself more time! Start small and grow from there. This is testing ground for you and your contractor. Develop your processes, grow in your delegation and watch yourself flourish!

Learn to Trust and Let Go

It takes time to let someone else run with what you value. For most of us, this business is our “baby.” You don't let anyone hold your baby, but over time you should develop trust to hand it off. This doesn't mean you don't care about it, but you can allow someone else to care for your business. I encourage you to lean into discomfort. Things don't grow out of comfort. When I started passing things off I freaked out! I wouldn't even let my administrative assistant respond to emails. I had her organize and flag emails I needed to respond to. Over time I developed a trust in her and eventually handed off most emails that required a response!

Now, there is another side to trust that I want to mention, and my team calls it trust and verify. So in those first several weeks that you're working with somebody, you can trust them with a new task. But then, it's smart as the business owner to come alongside and verify that the task got done the way that you wanted. You're not micro-managing, but you're checking in to give yourself space to breathe easy.

Questions on Outsourcing Tips

Where do I look for contractors? I highly suggest word of mouth! Ask those you trust already if they have suggestions or utilize your FB groups. There's a website called Outsourcing with Love that one of my team members worked with before so she's a credible source. She has vetted contractors that you can work with!

What can I expect to pay a contractor? I would say the typical intro rate is about $30/hour. You may see a bit more or less, but that seems average. Now if you're hiring someone more specialized you should expect to pay more. They've spent more time in that area so they will help tremendously! You get what you pay for, right?!

What should I outsource first? As a photographers, I suggest your editing, because it's really, really easy to book that into your cost. And it's very inexpensive. Another thing that I would suggest outsourcing first would be your social media scheduling. Maybe you're not comfortable with them writing your captions, but they can get your posts out! Hope these outsourcing tips for hiring your first contractors gives you courage to take the next step, you'll be happy you did!

If you are wanting to learn more about how to grow your business by building a team and when you are ready, check out Episode 41!

Links Mentioned

What We Discussed

What is a Contractor? (2:28)

Write Everything Down (4:22)

Record Your Processes for Easier Training (11:52)

Start Small (14:18)

Learnt to Trust and Let Go (16:01)

Questions (20:06)