Today I interviewed Tyrone Shum from Mass Outsource — actually it was my first video interview and it was pretty cool. I know I’ll do more of these because it is nice to see who you are talking with.
(The video will be posted here at the blog shortly)
We discussed outsourcing and how he used it to push himself into a 6 figure income within 6 months. I know — it sounds hard to believe, but I’ve come to realize that with the internet, anything is possible!
Tyrone outsources to the Phillipines and that caught my interest mainly because I own a business on the INTERNET so it really is worldwide. So why not explore to other countries? Maybe you have thoughts on that yourself?
I’ll be able to post the interview here shortly along with a review of his program — for now I’ve put together some outsourcing tips for you.
Outsourcing can be a stressful process. You need help and you need to trust someone to take care of certain tasks, but you’re not sure how to find the right one. Relax, take a deep breath and know that outsourcing is all it’s cracked up to be. Outsourcing can be one of the best business decisions you ever make if you follow the golden rules of outsourcing.
Always trust your instincts
If you’re not connecting with a potential contractor or something just feels off, trust your instincts. If you feel that a non-disclosure and a work for hire agreement is a good idea, get one signed.
(Tyrone has this as a free download on his resources page)
If you think the contractor can handle everything you can throw at them and then some, hire them! Your instincts are one of your best assets; use them to help you outsource successfully.
Always test with a small project
One of the best ways to develop a solid relationship with an outsource provider is to start small. This accomplishes many things, all of them good. When you start with a small project, it takes the pressure off of the both of you to get it right the first time. It gives you both time to develop a relationship and it gives you time to learn a system. Communication is essential and sometimes it takes a small project to work out the kinks.
A smaller project helps you test the skills of your new provider too. It helps you make sure you’ve hired the right person to help you grow your business.
Always tell your provider exactly what you need them to do
Don’t make them assume or guess. Provide as much information as possible. One great way to accomplish this is to create a blueprint or a system so your new contractor knows exactly what to do and what is expected of them. Additionally, if your contractor is doing something for you that you don’t know how to do, then ask them to create a manual for you. This can make a huge difference if something happens to your contractor and you need someone to step in and pick up where they left off.
Check references
Always check references if you’re considering working with a new person and if they have samples or a portfolio, take a look at these too. You’re hiring someone; make sure they’re the right person for the job you need.
Understand that there’s a learning curve for both of you and allow time to grow together gradually
Depending on the tasks you’re outsourcing, there can be a significant learning curve for some of them. It’s important to go into a business relationship with the understanding that there is a learning curve for both of you. You’re learning how to work together and your contractor may be learning how you like to have things done. Be patient. If this is someone you’re going to potentially working with for a long time, it’s good to give you both some time to figure it all out.
Outsourcing is a good business decision if you take your time, trust your instincts and follow good hiring practices and procedures. Even in the 9-5 world, people new on the job are given a couple weeks to settle in and the same may hold true for your new contractor.
Here’s What I’ve Been Watching Over the Last Day or So
Tyrone covers a big range about outsourcing inside his videos, I think you’ll agree that there is a lot covered here. I was happy to see that it’s easy to get started since it’s step by step.
Here are the Videos:
- Why You Should Outsource Your Work
- Hiring Contractors or Virtual Staff
- How to Get Full Time Help
- Finding Candidates from Onlinejobs.ph
- Contact Candidates
- Hiring People to Work Full Time
- How to Pay your Staff
- Paying Using Xoom
- What Work To Give Your Staff
- How To Manage Your Virtual Staff
Along with a bunch of compelling videos — If you’re wanting to get started right away, there are free documents Tyrone has readily available for you now.
- Getting Started Guide
- Sample Invoice
- Employee Non-Disclosure Agreement
- Independent Contractor Agreement
>> You can check out Tyrone’s program along with the free documents he has available that is you can download right away. I’ve actually gone through his videos now and have some things to implement myself.
Oh.. and I almost forgot there’s a really good report that I actually read all the way through. I was surprised because I don’t usually like the free stuff but it was very good content.
I’d love to hear if you’ve started outsourcing yet and what your experience has been.
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As I already mentioned in another post I just started my own business and am making a couple of thousand dollars a month. Since I can’t keep up with all the tasks to be done I am outsourcing some of the content creation.
I would like to know how you did this when you were starting out… Did you start outsourcing some of the work right away like link building or something?
Link building is one of the most time consuming jobs I have to do right now. My main projects are on the german market so for example guest posting is not really an option. Do you have any recommendations?
Interesting to hear that outsourcing played such a large role in their success. Certainly it pushed up the speed in which the attained success.
As I can say is that I am on the outsourcing business from a lot of time and i can say that more that 90% of the experiences was very positive. I advice to all of view to give it a try and do not forget: trust your instincts.
It’s really amazing how having an online business lets us outsource so easily and effectively. But sometimes it can be difficult to find good freelancers to outsource to.
I have outsourced – no kidding – 128 jobs on Elance. Almost all of them have been fantastic. There are the occasional whiny gits who have overestimated their ability to get the job done to your specs, but mostly, I find Elance to be great.
My big learning experience: Never hire someone who doesn’t have at least five recent reviews and rating of at least 97%. Both new providers I’ve hired ended up being nightmares. One hacked my server, deleted 400 websites, and installed a trojan.
As for VAs, the best VAs I’ve had have been found through Elance and later hired directly. I did try out AskSunday, with the intent to get them to do internet research for my new book. What a mess! They are professional and responsive exactly to the point where you give them your credit card details, then a total disappointment. It took me less than 24 hours to figure that out, never got one project done, and did the impossible (according to many other unhappy customers) by getting a full refund.
Lesson learned: Do NOT use AskSunday
Good article/points…
One thing to be careful of when outsourcing is NOT to title your subcontractors as company employees… To the IRS, there’s a fine line between working “with and “for” a company. I would say that if a business is giving a contractor/subcontractor a name under their company (i.e. [email protected]), then the IRS will consider that employment and require unemployment tax compensation. Regardless of how a business defines it, if the IRS concludes that you’ve taken responsibility and direction of a contractor/subcontractor’s duties, they will consider it employment.
One way to avoid this is to clearly define roles with your contractors and be honest with your client (signed contracts and well-documented invoices are EXTREMELY VITAL). I see many agencies stay hush-hush about outsourcing… Instead of running into a potential future conflict, be upfront with your clients and let them know that it is in the best interest of their job, budget, and project success, if you choose to outsource certain facets of the project.
As I can say is that I am on the outsourcing business from a lot of time and i can say that more that 90% of the experiences was very positive. I advice to all of view to give it a try and do not forget: trust your instincts.
The post in outsourcing business is really very good and informative.
outsourcing is the best choice you have, when you are not interested in wasting you money on hiring new personnels or wasting your time on training them, this is really very informative post, thanks alot…