Outsourcing in a Slow Growth Economy

With rumors of an economic downturn on the horizon, is it possible for companies the world over to remain profitable? With more and more companies outsourcing and using freelance services to complete their projects, this practice has rapidly become the best way for companies to reduce expenses and the focus now also encompasses how to do things quicker, more efficiently and get to the market quicker than your competitors

 

This article called Outsourcing in a Slow Growth Economy talks about the beauty of outsourcing and the simplicity of it all. Have a look at how good business decisions, have more companies outsourcing their projects in an effort to streamline their business with a focus on future growth.

Hire a Telecommuter Today

How would you like to hire an employee who is very motivated and qualified to do work and also costs you less than the average worker? This sounds illegal and bordering on slave labor but you can actually accomplish this by hiring a telecommuter. Here are five excellent reasons, why it makes sense.

 
1) Reduced Overheads

2) Less Benefits to Pay

3) Hire Professionals
4) Flexibility on Demand

5) More Motivation

In this article called Hire a Telecommuter, 5 Great Reasons, it outlines the above benefits and shows how Telecommuters and freelancers offer you a great alternative and give back maximum benefits.

Do Less and Earn More, Really?

It’s a dream to be able to really do less work and earn more money, but can you really achieve it? For Internet Business Entrepreneurs you need to be able to proactively change with the market and if you are trying to do this by yourself, you may not be acting quickly enough to market needs. Have a look at some of these examples of work that can be outsourced and how it will benefit you to begin outsourcing.

Outsourcing for Small Business Owners

It’s the usual story for many small business owners. You do everything yourself because you can do it better and faster, but then what happens if you don’t have the skills or you are always spending your valuable time doing the basic tasks that prevent you from focusing on the big picture and looking to the future growth of your business? This article about Outsourcing for Small Business Owners covers the benefits when you do it right.

Multi-tasking, Good or Bad?

Multi-tasking has been the epitome of efficiency in business life, but how efficient is it really? New research conducted by Joshua Rubinstein, Ph.D., of the Federal Aviation Administration, and David Meyer, Ph.D., and Jeffrey Evans, Ph.D., both at the University of Michigan and published by the American Psychological Association They have found that switching between several tasks can actually take more time.

I also read the multi-tasking can also lead to a “dumbing-down effect” ,even though we are looking and doing several things at once, our brain does not actually absorb the information. Could this be a syndrome of Generation XYZ?

As small business owners know, you often have to do everything yourself and know a little about every task, but it makes sense to focus on your strengths and farm-out tasks that your are not skilled at simply take up too much time. Outsourcing is an answer for many businesses as it can offer great expertise at a fraction of the cost of hiring a full-time employee. elance.com and myTino.com offer a great service to find help when you need it.

Help the Environment with Online Outsourcing

Take action today, with a combined effort everyone can reduce carbon emissions and make more informed decisions about their actions and purchases. So this made me think, “What simple things can we do everyday to help reduce our carbon footprint?”

There is this useful article called 50 quick, Painless Ways You Can Help the Environment Today where you can find helpful tips, which couldn’t be simpler.

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• Don’t print at least once day, to help reduce paper consumption.
• Turn off lights and unplug your electronic products when not in use.
• Look for energy efficient products.
• Use a coffee mug instead of disposable cups.

The article also talks about speaking to your employer about telecommuting, and the savings of time and fuel and the reduction of stress. There is also a host of various online outsourcing websites such as mytino.com that suggests growing popularity for working independently or from a home office. So how would this work in the context of working online or outsourcing work online to reduce emissions and conserve energy?

The members of freelancing online communities could be viewed as telecommuters, as they are not required to travel to a location and can work remotely from home, therefore reducing time spent in a car and reducing car emissions. The Washington Post quoted a study done by the Consumer Electronics Association which found that the United States of America currently has 3.9 million telecommuters, which collectively save about 840 million gallons (3 billion liters) of gas and 14 million tons (12 billion kilograms) of carbon dioxide emissions. That’s equal to taking 2 million vehicles off the road each year!

Other environmental benefits include the reduced need for office space and related materials and roadways. As the work is conducted online it makes sense that that this type of activity could be the next step in business. There is the view that the lack of face to face interaction can lead to a reduction in productivity and to a degree a loss of control; however in most businesses communication between colleagues sitting across from each other is done via email rather than face to face.

So how can we encourage more people to review how their work impacts the environment? Lovely as a Tree has great tips specifically for graphic designers from paper choices to choosing a printer, the site evolved from twig.co.uk and conceived by Caroline Clark who after much research found that there were very little environmental tips for designers.

Planet Green Discovery gives you energy tips for all parts of your life and Business Green looks at what businesses, large and small are doing to help the environment.

Working from home isn’t for everyone, it takes a certain type of person to be able to focus and ensure they are productive. It also requires having the correct equipment and an office set up in your home where you are away from distractions. Designing or working from home can definitely help the environment, and taking a few more simple actions in your home office can ensure that your business reduces its mark on the environment.

Online Outsourcing Websites. What to look for.

Here are some great tips I found from an article I read on this useful site I use called myTino.com. Take a read of the entire article here.

• Many sites are focused on the freelancer and they only act as a place to post jobs so will not get involved in disputes that may arise.
• Not all sites offer an escrow payment service.
• Other sites only give you the ability to receive written proposals for the project and portfolios to view.
• With some sites, you have to interact with the candidate offline and you could encounter cases of fraud or spoofing.
• Most sites don’t offer you the ability to ask for a visual example of the final result, so you may pick someone who looks good, but in the end does not design something that is satisfactory.
• If you do have a large job with critical deadlines, being able to set up partial delivery dates is very a handy tool and is not offered by all sites.

Cultural Differences

Everyone knows China has a huge population, with well over 1 billion people and is developing at a rapid rate. And as the 2008 Olympic Games approach, Beijing will take centre stage. China is also opening up to the Western world in a big way and everyone is keen to sample what it has to offer.
But wait! What about the cultural differences? These are apparent anywhere you go in the world and only seem like a huge obstacles because China is a largely unknown place. However learning a few polite expressions in another person’s language; and showing appreciation for the food and music of another culture can have especially positive effects.
This article about “Cultural Differences between China and Western Countries ” sheds some light on this Eastern mystery.

Virtual Assistants

Ever thought about hiring an executive assistant? For many small business owners having someone to help you with all your administrative tasks can seem like a costly expense. With the arrival of technology and the internet you can now employ the services of a Virtual Assistant, It sounds like the ‘Jetsons’ have arrived, but it’s actually reality. Tina Hilton of Clerical Advantage wrote a four-part series post on Home Office Warrior’s blog, “The Top 100 Ways a Home Office Warrior Can Utilize a Virtual Assistant .” Her post gives you an idea of what type of projects you can outsource. Virtual Assistant Networking Association (VANA) also has a series of top10 reasons to use this type service.

Why Outsource to China?

In the competitive global market, business organizations and companies are opting for the profitable and highly productive strategy of outsourcing, an industry that is rapidly growing. China is considered to be the growing outsourcing center that is soon to eclipse India.

Coupled with low labor costs, China has an abundance of skilled IT professionals who are looking for employment either in outsourcing firms or as independent freelancers. Some top freelancing websites to check out are mytino.com, elance.com, or odesk.com.