Having trouble finding the right freelancer for the work you need done? If so, read on for tips on how to outsource for your small business…

1) What’s the Right Way to Outsource a Small Business?

If you’ve used multiple auction-style platforms for hiring out freelancers for your online business and you have had nothing but trouble, I’m here to tell you, you’re doing it wrong. The problem with many of these type of websites is that they give the freelancer too much power and the service provider (you) not enough of it.

The problem is that often enough websites like Freelancer or Elance simply don’t give you an appropriate environment to discover potential employees’ strengths and weaknesses, so you can avoid hiring out bad workers.

The time-frame is limited and often enough even if you test them out, you still might not discover they’re a bad choice until it’s too late. Once you’ve discovered you made a bad decision, you’ve either wasted valuable time or money.

And although you can use these types of websites to occasionally find great workers, often it’s just not worth it when there’s a much simpler approach to going about it. A way in which you can take all the time you need and test out potential employees to make certain you’ve made the right choice.

So, that brings the question to light. What is the right way to outsource your business?

By hiring someone who is looking for a job and not someone who is looking to freelance.

What’s the difference?

Well, someone who is looking for a job is looking to work for YOU and someone who is interested in freelancing is interested in working for THEMSELVES. They tend to bounce between projects offered by various service providers and they generally don’t have any loyalty toward you. You’re just one of the many people that pay them money to do a limited set of tasks.

Whereas an employee is hired to do a job you train them for. They’re hired and paid to…

• learn about your business
• care about your business
• correct mistakes they make along the way

They’re willing to do a REAL job…

They’re willing to work 40 hours a week or 20 hours a week and the time they invest is in your business.

However, the time freelancers invest is in a series of tasks sent to them by Ted, John, Martha and Joan.

Should I say it again?

They work for themselves.

So if it’s loyalty you want, you need an employee. Not a freelancer.

2) What’s the Smart Way to Outsource a Small Business?

The smart way to outsource is to realize that freelancers and employees aren’t the same thing.

Many times, a freelancer is long gone by the time you find a mistake in the work they’ve done for you so you may or may not be able to correct the work without having to pay them again.

And there’s no threat of being fired if they do a poor job. The only threat is you won’t want to hire them again.

However, that’s not a problem for many freelancers because you’re one in a million. All they have to do is go and seek out work from someone else from one of the many popular outsourcing websites… and there are plenty of people looking for freelancers to do a simple project for them. So they’re rarely out of options.

They get chosen as the winning bidder and BAM, they get paid. Then they’re on to the next project.

Don’t get me wrong. Freelancers have their place in the world of business.

But the problem begins when you don’t realize that you need an employee, rather than a freelancer–when you don’t understand how different the two really are. How each options produces significantly different results.

So in the end, understanding whether you need someone…

• you can train that will work for you part-time or full-time
• who can do a quick simple project for you

… is the beginning of a life-changing event for you.

3) What’s an Affordable Way to Outsource a Small Business?

Knowing where to look is a big part of the solution. It’s not always as simple as just knowing who you need. If you can’t find the right resources and you have to opt for a less favorable solution that may also be a significant reason behind why you you’re getting bad results.

So, it may be obvious to you that you need an employee but you have to settle for a freelancer instead due to budget or the inability to find the right resources on how to hire a virtual assistant for your business.

However, two great places to look for affordable, high quality Filipino employees with college degrees are OnlineJobs.ph and BestJobs.ph. Many employees can be hired for $250 or less for 40 hours a week.