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Running a startup is never easy. There’s just so many things that have to be taken care of and many rookie entrepreneurs find themselves struggling to handle all of their operations. Moreover, some startups simply lack qualified staff in order to take care of every aspect of their business. If this is the case with you, there’s no need to panic since you can now outsource any business operation you can’t deal with internally. That’s why we made a list or 5 services you should think about outsourcing during your first year.
Accounting
During the first year, your startup probably won’t have a budget big enough to afford hiring employees in the accounting sector. And even if you possess some knowledge in accounting, you probably won’t have enough time to deal with accounting yourself. However, it’s very important that you keep track of your books so that you would know whether your operations are actually paying off. Luckily, today there are plenty of accounting firms that can deal with bookkeeping, invoicing, planning, reporting and many other tasks for you. When it comes to hiring an accounting firm for your startup, you should consider whether that firm is familiar with your industry and what range of accounting services they offer.
Social media
You probably believe that social media marketing is all about creating a Facebook or Instagram page for your business and posting something a few times per week. Still, since people today use social media more than ever, you have to take your social media marketing efforts seriously. People want quick replies to their comments and messages on social media, and if you deal with other business operations, you simply won’t have enough time to be on your Facebook or Instagram page 24/7. On the other hand, you can always hire experts who will deal with this for you. This means you’ll make enough room in your schedule to deal with some other important business operations while being assured your accounts are always active.
Content marketing
Content marketing has now become one of the best ways for promoting your business. One of the biggest reasons who you should go for it is because this marketing channel provides quality content for your customers while bringing your business closer to them. Of course, providing quality content for your customers require a lot of time and effort. Therefore, this is also something you’ll hardly be able to do yourself. Instead, you should hire freelancers or content agencies who are going to supply you with all the content your business needs. Just make sure you turn to someone who possesses enough knowledge about what your startup does.
Artwork
Another thing that requires a lot of time and effort is dealing with the artwork for your startup. Moreover, this requires skill, and if you and your employees don’t have it, you might just end up having brochures or a logo that look like a 5-year-old’s drawing and that’s something you definitely shouldn’t be aiming at. On the other hand, there are plenty of companies which can help you with services such as large format printing and logo design. Experts in these companies have enough skill and follow all the latest trends in the business world, and they should be able to provide just the perfect artwork for your business. And of course, paying them is a much more affordable option than hiring an employee who will be in charge of dealing with artwork.
IT Support
Since this is your first year in the world of business, you’re always going to focus on important business operations and not the technology you use in order to get your work done. While most of the large companies out there have their own IT sectors, startups usually can’t afford paying extra employees who are going to deal with IT. That’s why there are pros who offer IT support to businesses in just any industry. Hiring them is a great way to make sure you avoid making some costly mistakes when it comes to handling your technology. On top of that, IT experts have plenty of experience and they should be able to deal with any kind of IT problems you might experience.
Outsource these 5 services and you should be able to focus only on operations critical for keeping your startup afloat. And as your small business grows, you can slowly start thinking about bringing more people in.
