Being able to let go in business can often be one of the hardest things to do. But those who can successfully master outsourcing, often find their businesses can grow quickly. As a commercial partner at Harper James, Sarah Gunton supports many entrepreneurs by providing legal services which enable their businesses to scale up and develop.
Harper James Solicitors often become an extension of their clients’ businesses and their services help them reach the next stage in heir evolution. Here Sarah explains why outsourcing is so important and shares some of the other ways she succeeds as her own boss.
Embrace outsourcing
Some women feel that to succeed they must show themselves as superwomen, marvellously competent on all fronts. This perception makes it difficult to delegate, not least because it requires high levels of trust in the person selected to take over responsibility for a task.
However, time has only so much elasticity and it is sometimes only possible to conquer a ‘to do’ list by delegating to trusted suppliers. That is, it may be better for you and for your business if you outsource a task to someone who can get the job done quicker and more effectively because s/he specialises in that sort of job. This means that you will benefit from ‘I’ve seen that scenario before’ advice at a point in the life of your business when virtually everything may be novel to you.
Let your true colours show
It is not necessarily easy to be yourself in the business world; but it can be exhausting and ultimately destructive constantly to be pretending to be someone else. Being your own boss can be the perfect opportunity to let your true colours show. It is likely to mean that you are happier and more effective and that your business is more attractive to your customers.
This does not mean that you should set out to be outrageous (or obnoxious), just a little more courageous in the decisions you make as to the ways in which you relate to your staff, suppliers, customers, competitors and investors.
Be organised
It does help to be organised but there are many ways in which to be organised. These are not necessarily hi-tech or the same as the methods applied by the people around you. Sometimes a pen and paper is the best tool: make a list and cross things out as they are completed; use a mind map to make sense of the multiple and conflicting demands on your time. It is important to ensure that a wild and energetic drive for progress does not obscure the fact that nothing is actually getting done.
In this context, you should operate on the basis that you are developing your business for ultimate sale (even if this is not your intention): any purchaser will expect to see a well-structured organisation with records which evidence that business and what it has done so far – so that it is possible to assess accurately the risks and rewards of the business.
Don’t mistake compromise for weakness
It is not always necessary to be ruthless to get ahead. However, this does not mean that you should tolerate poor quality or succumb to hard luck stories. As with many things, compromise is often the best approach but you should be wary of the unscrupulous who see this as an opportunity to transfer work and/or risk to you inappropriately.
It is frequently the case that gut instinct is a valuable tool, particularly in your relations with other human beings, but it is a tool that is frequently under-valued in the context of business. For example, recruiting a member of staff because his/her CV appears to be perfect whilst ignoring twinges in the region of your stomach may mean that you are subsequently lumbered with difficult conversations and substantial pay-outs.
Be open to change
Your business is likely to need a measure of stability to succeed but change will be inherent in your early days. It is important to remain open to change even after this phase: it is a truism that the world is changing rapidly but you should not overlook the fact that your business will have to change with it.
This may simply mean that the goods and services offered by your business will have to keep up with the times but, equally, requires you to be open to innovation in the ways that you do things and the training and other support that you will need to bring about change. This is another area in which the support of third parties may be essential.
