Take Time to Make Time

Take Time To Make Time

Resolution season has passed, the new year is well underway and, while some things have certainly changed, one thing remains the same: there just isn’t enough time.

Here’s a sure-fire way to take back chunks of life’s most precious commodity for you and for your employees.

Good Intentions

Of course, every good business leader comes into a New Year projecting optimism and growth, but the pressure can mount quickly if performance wanes. Often, when a company’s planned growth is predicated on simply getting greater quality and quantity of work from existing team members, problems will soon arise. You see, there is just no way that those employees are as committed to company growth, or the growth steps, as the ownership/leadership is. Beyond that, when pressure mounts and things get tough people gravitate to what they’ve always known. Even leaders who are most invested in the plan will instinctually rally toward what they believe must get done to most immediately move the needle. Either way, those well-planned steps and strategies for growth in the New Year will have fallen by the wayside as everyone turns reactive vs. proactive. There just isn’t enough time to do it all.

Adding Payroll Expense to Start the Year is Risky Business

What do you do when you’re realistic about time restraints on your existing staff, but also have new things you’d like to implement to help drive long-term growth? Hiring, of course, is an option. However, it can be an expensive approach. Beyond the time to search, interview, on-board and train are the hard costs that include salary, payroll taxes, benefits, office hardware and software. Then, there’s the unfortunate risk of making a bad hire and having to do it all over again. Do that more than once, and compounding issues will start to show up where you expect them… and where you don’t.

Is Outsourcing a Good Option?

This can be a great way to go for many reasons. If the right partner is chosen your company could gain a team of experts, save all that time and a lot of money. It sounds perfect right? Well, beware. You want to be sure that the partner you choose to outsource to isn’t also outsourcing. It’s surprising how common this is, and it’s a recipe for real problems. Why? Because the more links in the outsourcing chain, the more times the price of the work is marked up. And getting middle-manned-to-death can happen in any industry.

So be sure you negotiate a fair deal with a reputable partner, and that the work they do is done by people within their own organization. It’s the best way to get the most value for your investment, and for your new partner to gain a fast familiarity with your company and exactly what you’re trying to achieve. If chosen correctly, it should feel like you’ve added a whole new department to YOUR organization. You should gain a team of experts for a fraction of what they would cost to hire individually, without having to train them all up or even pay their FICA. Most of all, you and your employees should gain the gift of TIME! What you do with it, could be the difference between experiencing disappointment or great joy in the year ahead.

So, if you’ve resolved to see your business take a mighty growth step this year, take the time to explore your options. Choosing the one that’s right for you could save you a lot of money, free your staff up enough to double-down on what they do best, and maybe even allow you to finally start working ON your business… instead of IN it.

TAKEAWAYS:

THE BEST OF PLANS OFTEN FAIL DUE TO A LACK OF TIME (PERCEIVED OR REAL)
DEMANDING MORE FROM YOUR CURRENT STAFF IS NOT A SOLID GROWTH STRATEGY
IN TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCES, PEOPLE / EMPLOYEES BECOME REACTIVE VS. PROACTIVE
ADDING STAFF TO ACHIEVE GOALS AND SPARK IMMEDIATE GROWTH CAN BE COSTLY
OUTSOURCING CAN BE A GREAT WAY TO “STAFF UP” AND RECOUP TIME
WHEN OUTSOURCING, BE SURE YOU AREN’T GETTING MIDDLE-MANNED-TO-DEATH
DONE RIGHT, OUTSOURCING WILL ADD EXPERTISE, SAVE MONEY AND CREATE MORE TIME