Starting your own remote business is something that should ideally be discussed with a career or business consultant. However, there are many advantages, and it is something that many people should consider, especially in the current business climate and the legitimization of working from home that appears to have come with the pandemic.

If you are fresh out of college, starting a remote business might be ideal for gaining some valuable industry experience and skills. For example, if you are a marketing graduate, you could set up a marketing agency or consultancy and deal directly with clients. In the process, you could get hands-on experience of setting up a company website, of delivering Google and Facebook ads campaigns – for your own business and clients. You can also learn how to communicate best and serve clients so that they have a preferential view of your company and brand.

Getting Started with Outsourcing

Before you start outsourcing, you need to decide what your core tasks are and what elements of the business are really ancillary tasks.

With the marketing business example, core tasks may include working with and optimizing Google Ads campaigns, Facebook Ads campaigns and writing blog content for clients. The core tasks will generally relate to tasks that directly generate revenue for the business.

Everything else, including graphic design, web design, answering emails and talking on the phone, maybe considered either outside of your skillset or not at ‘the core of the business.

Another great way to identify tasks that can be outsourced is to keep a work diary of your tasks each day. Keep the journal for a week or two and then look back and see what tasks you spend time on. If you spend hours updating your company’s social media accounts each day, for example, that may be something you want to outsource.

Virtual Assistants 

One of the first things that many entrepreneurs consider outsourcing are those tasks that are repetitive or simple but take up a large percentage of the working day.

Using a virtual assistant or receptionist can be a great way to free up a substantial amount of your own time without having to pay a high hourly cost. A virtual assistant is somewhat of an umbrella term, and many assistants have specialized skill sets allowing them to handle and deal with a specific range of tasks.

Having said that, some of the typical tasks that are outsourced to an assistant include:

• Social media scheduling
• Replying to social media comments
• Social media graphics using Canva
• Social Media messaging management
• Basic video editing
• Email filtering & responding
• Research and cross-referencing
• Managing appointments
• Travel management
• Uploading videos and podcasts
• Bookkeeping
• Copywriting & editing

It is important to remember at this point that you may have to provide some level of training to your assistant. While some assistants will have knowledge of popular social media scheduling software, many will not, and it will be up to you to familiarize the assistant with whatever software you use. If you hire an assistant from overseas, you will also have to work out a way to effectively communicate tasks and set expectations, especially if you work in different time zones.

Virtual Receptionists

When it comes to outsourcing and gaining additional time to work on the core of your business each day, anything that significantly reduces interruptions should help tremendously. Research has shown that a single interruption or distraction such as an unwanted phone call can average 23 minutes to recover. So for every interruption, you lose about 30 minutes of your day. In addition, research has shown that interruptions increase error rates and increased levels of anxiety.

With a high quality provider like Moneypenny, receptionists are handpicked for your business, and many have in-depth industry experience to call upon. For example, legal clients can benefit from the services of a specific attorney answering service, with a virtual receptionist who deals with calls specifically for legal firms and attorneys.

You can also use your mobile phone as a virtual office phone system, with an app that acts similar to a switchboard. You can also use a landline or toll-free telephone number, even though calls will still go to your mobile.

Conclusion

The main benefit of a remote business is that the startup costs and monthly costs are typically low. With outsourcing, there is no need to invest in additional equipment or office space, and you can use freelancers per project rather than hiring employees permanently. Make a note of how long you spend on specific tasks each day to evaluate what tasks you should consider outsourcing. PeoplePerHouris a great websites for hiring highly skilled freelancers from across the globe.