Most of us started our online businesses to change lives and earn a living, NOT to spend hours in frustration setting up webinars, learning how to update WordPress, getting stuck trying to set up your email lists, editing videos (yuck), or answering help desk emails and filtering spam.

I don't know about you but there is nothing more frustrating to me than wasting time and feeling stupid doing things that are outside of my main focus.

That's where I encourage you to let other people shine.

Yes, other people LOVE doing that stuff. So, why flail in your weaker areas instead of spending your time doing the things that bring you from Average to AWESOME?!

Plus, it costs money to struggle. If you need to get a buy button on your page so you can make sales, don't spend a day trying to do it. That's a day of lost sales, when someone else could have spent 5 minutes and had it working.

Yes. Hand those tasks off to the Virtual Assistants who LOVE to do that stuff, so YOU are free to reach your highest income goals.

But… that's where it gets tricky. You find a great VA and then get stuck.

* You have to figure out what you want them to do, because you aren't quite sure yourself!

* You feel like you're flying by the seat of your pants – and paying for it!

Well, that USED to be the problem, but now that problem is solved.

Done-for-You Outsourcing Plans make it easy.

My friend, Melissa Ingold, has created marketing plans that you can hand to your Virtual Assistant and say “do this please” – and they have a fail-proof path to follow. OR if you're a VA, get these and you will have instant income streams. (Hint hint)

So your Virtual Assistant can MAKE you money!

You can see everything you can get here, but DON'T buy here:
CLICK HERE for the Overview (< –BUT DON'T BUY HERE)

Instead, grab an entire year's worth of marketing plans here and save BIG (get early bird pricing for only a few days): ==> CLICK HERE TO SAVE BIG.

If you've ever said this:

“If only I could just hand a marketing plan over to someone and they'd just DO what I wanted them to do instead of trying to explain it – especially when I don't even understand it myself.”

Then I recommend that you get this: CLICK HERE TO SAVE BIG ON OUTSOURCING PLANS.

Please weigh in on your #1 struggle with outsourcing. I've been doing it a long time and would love to do a Q&A series for you.

Warmly and with Big Hugs,
Nicole Dean

PS. If all this talk about getting paid to go work online is appealing to you, then this is the place YOU want to be:  Click to Learn More about Becoming a Virtual Assistant

This week, I have Natalie Collins, with me.

The audio recording of our interview is in this blog post. Just look for the “play” button and listen. It’s free! Also, be sure to check out all of the resources listed below.

If you’re not familiar with Natalie yet, learn more here:

Natalie Marie Collins is a fun creative who after being in the corporate world for 13 years figured out she could make a living by taking her office skills home and started working as an Online Business (Virtual) Assistant, learned the ropes of how to create membership areas, branding, marketing, digital products, sales funnels and so much more.

She then took her vast knowledge of the online business world, formulated a plan, built a biz tree and started coaching others on how to craft and grow their own successful business. One branch at a time.

After her clients get the clarity they need to in their business, she helps them get it done and build their online businesses through her team of Online Business Managers and Assistants.

Step 1: Check out all the Great Stuff Mentioned during this Show:

All links will open in a new window and not interfere while you're listening to the audio.

Tools Natalie mentioned during this call:

• Zaxaa – Natalie uses this shopping cart.
• Asana – I also just switched over to this from Basecamp.
• FreshBooks – to track hours for clients.
• Paypal – to get money.
• Wappwolf – THIS IS SO COOL! Automates tasks.
• Adobe Tools – To get access to Adobe Suite on a monthly basis.
• Dropbox – BOO YAH! I love this one, too.
• WordSwag App – To make quote images from your phone.
• Stay Focused Chrome Extension – To help you stay off Facebook while working.

Natalie's tipping point in her business was attending Live Events. Here are some that we recommend:

• NAMS in Atlanta
• Beachprenuers Lifestyle Conferene – Natalie will be Speaking here in February at Daytona Beach

She also mentioned our Beach House:

• Beachpreneurs Ladies Only Mastermind Retreat – Where Natalie and I got to know each other better.

Step 2: Listen to the Interview.

Be sure to listen to the entire interview.

Step 3: Get More from Natalie

Head over here to check out…

• Natalie Marie Collins
• Writing Dates
• OB1 Agency
• OB1 Academy
• Doodles for your Blog
• The Green Smoothie a Day Challenge

Step 4: Share the Love.

If you liked this interview, don't keep it to yourself. Share the link with some friends. (Pretty please.)

Step 5: Make Sure you Don't Miss a Thing.

Either sign up for my blog updates over there –>

Or grab my feed on iTunes so you can get lots more free interviews just like this one. (Please leave a glowing review while you're at it.)

Step 6: Get a free link on my blog

Please post your comments below after you listen to the interview. Show Natalie the love so I can continue to get great guests like her.

Plus, of course, you can include your URL and your Twitter ID in the appropriate fields when you comment, as always.

Thanks again for being part of my business and my day. I'm looking forward to hearing what you learned and will apply from this interview.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

One of my “super-powers”, as my friends say, is that I'm really good at getting people to work for me for free.

For instance, I just got a fabulous new intern that I'm really excited about working with.

That brought up the question …

Do you work with Interns?

If so, how do you structure the relationship so that both parties get a fair deal? Any tips or warnings?

Here are their replies.

Kelly McCausey of Solo Smarts says:

Internships have been a big part of my online business strategy for years. What started with a need for someone else who could do what I do turned into a content creation dream and the development of a popular new information product.

My internship program is the answer to the requests for free help that invariably come in. It gives me the chance to work with talented newcomers who have more time than money. I get to help them learn and they get to earn their way to access for all of my resources. It's win-win.

If you'd like to dig deeper, I've got a transcript for you of an audio I produced for SoloMastermind members. I share a lot of ideas and important considerations if you're thinking about taking on your own intern.

->Click here to read that that Transcript

Be sure to check out Kelly’s coaching program here. Solo Masterminds – it’s where I got started!

Connie Ragen Green of Affiliate Marketing Secrets Explained says:

I tried working with interns when I was just getting started online, but I found that it was too early in my own online career for me to be guiding others properly.

Once I had been online for several years I again reached out to people who wanted to learn in order to find some good interns who wanted to move forward and learn additional skills.

My Project Manager now chooses one person every six months to help with some of my clerical tasks, and then moves them up to more substantial duties as time goes by. At the end of the six month internship they are ready to move into a paid position or to be recommended to someone else who needs help in their online business.

How Has Connie won so Many Affiliate Contests? Find out here -> Affiliate Marketing Secrets Explained

David Perdew of NAMS says:

An internship was the thing that jolted my journalism career into high gear!

I worked for the Courier Journal in Louisville, KY, for the summer as an intern in 1976. I was a junior in college.

My wife and baby lived with her mother that summer because I knew how important it was for my career to make the connections, get the practical experience of daily metro journalism, and get a leg up on the competition for the limited jobs.

Without that internship, I would have never been successful in the newspaper business.

Eight months later, I purchased a weekly newspaper and launched my career – a very successful one at that. I shortened my learning curve by years.

Internships are worth gold. Even unpaid internships.

Hooking up with someone who is already successful at growing the business you’re interested in is the best way to learn fast. Ben Franklin became a master printer – and America’s first true entrepreneur – by learning his trade as an apprentice in another printing shop.

Often, people don’t want to do internships because there’s little if any pay involved. But that’s incredibly short-sighted. When you find a business owner willing to take on interns, he’s willing to give you personal attention, training and insight into his business that no one else gets.

And sometimes, it becomes a long term partnership.

We’re in the process of setting up our NAMS internship program with 12 slots to focus on different and specific areas of doing business online. Yep, we gain a bunch from working with people for 10 weeks. But believe me, the intern gets an amazing amount of real life training that can’t be had any other way than being in the trenches of daily business.

• We interview interns carefully.
• We expect them to participate in the design of their 10-week program with specific goals that THEY want to accomplish. We make sure those goals are in synch with the goals WE want to accomplish. Then we help the intern build a plan for achieving those goals.
• We expect interns to give us at least 10 hours per week.
• We promise to be involved in their process, to monitor and critique their work.
• We do not pay our interns. We do hook them up with a free ticket to NAMS workshop

And if they’ve done a great job, they go on their way with a letter of recommendation and introductions to other business owners.

Be sure to sign up for David's free weekly webinars here: NAMS Training

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Organize Your Online Business says:

I am not currently using Interns, but I had a good-sized program several years ago. I recruited people from my list who wanted to grow their business. In exchange for 5 hours per week, they got to see the “inside” workings of my business – and I met with them once a month to consult on THEIR business. So it seemed like a fair exchange. I set up my team training site (that I still use with my staff) to facilitate the work and interaction.

Unfortunately it only lasted a few months. They got busy or decided it was too much work to build a business online. I spent a lot of my time supervising, correcting, teaching. In the end, I felt I could hire professionals who already knew what they were doing and didn't need “encouragement” a lot cheaper. That has been the best decision for me, since I can earn more by spending my time doing what I do best – and outsourcing the rest!

Train your Interns. Dr. Jeanette Cates teaches how to set up a Team Training Site in her One Hour Membership Site course.

Shannon Cherry of Get Free Business Help (ie. How to Get Interns) says:

I love the internship model for a growing business. As a matter of fact, I got my start in television as an intern, so I really value a great internship experience.

I've been personally using interns since the beginning of my career, and when I started my business more than ten years ago, I used the internship model to help me grow fast (so much so, I've created a product about how to do this!)

I have three very important rules for using interns:

1) They want experience, give it. Do NOT have interns doing the simple tasks you just don't want to deal with. Create a balance between those not so fun tasks and what they really want to learn.

2) Treat them like any other person you would hire. To give them real world experience, treat them like they would be treated in the real world. Use hiring contracts, operations manuals and job descriptions so there is a complete understanding of what is expected. And that also means don't be afraid to fire an intern if its not working out.

3) Make it fun. After all, if its not fun… is it really worth it? I send my interns little gifts to show I appreciate them and bonuses for going above and beyond.

I've personally saved more than $27,000 last year alone by using interns. It's a great way to get work done by offering others a wonderful opportunity.

Shannon's course teaches you how to Get and Work with Interns – including the necessary contracts to have in place.

Jason Fladlien of Double Your Productivity for Life says:

We have someone on staff who is somewhat an intern, he's a paid intern for Pakistan, and he does a lot of video work for us. He works out real great, my only regret is I don't have enough stuff to keep him busy. The funny thing is he asked me one day if it was okay if he told people at his University that he worked for us…

A lot of overseas ‘interns' or outsource workers are very proud to work for American based companies, and if you get someone like that you should keep them – but they usually have great work ethic and aim to please.

Jason is freaky-smart and uber-productive. Get his productivity training here: Double Your Productivity for Life (I bought it and am reading it now.)

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Not surprisingly, my internship program is pretty fluid. And, kind of warm and fuzzy, too. Heck, most of my systems are like that. I'm not a real “set in stone” kinda gal if you haven't noticed.

For instance, one of my first interns that stuck (I seem to have to go through a few to get the hard workers) was none other than my (now) good friend, Tracy Roberts. You know, the same Tracy who I just spent the weekend brainstorming with in a condo at the beach?

Yeah, internships can definitely grow into awesome working relationships and friendships.

Tracy actually worked for free for me for an entire year. She just kept telling me that there was more that she wanted to learn. And, I liked having her around. She didn't feel quite ready to move from the role of an Intern to a Virtual Assistant at the time, so we agreed to continue having her work for free, in exchange for more of my time, for awhile.

Now she's rocking and rolling and I'm so very proud of my friend!

My latest intern seems to be a spit-fire. Motivated. Enthusiastic. Smart. She's got the whole package and I  know her business will do awesome once she gets some focus and momentum behind her.

The terms of my internships are:

• 15 hours/week for 10 weeks.
• I will provide business training from the start. If I see a skill they should develop, I'll buy them a course on the topic. (Or give them one of my own.)
• I don't start coaching about their business until we are a few weeks in. They've got to put some effort in before I do.
• I am available on Skype and via email to them, but I expect them to be self-motivated before asking a question. If I can quickly search Google and find the answer to their question, that's not a good sign, because that  means they should have been able to figure it out without asking me.
• They have access to my Project Manager as a first line of help, in case I am not around.
• I will provide them with a variety of tasks that they need to complete, so they don't get stuck on one thing or end up waiting on me.
• I expect daily email check-ins that explain the tasks completed as well as total hours worked for the week.

What do I assign them to work on?

Well, the first thing I do is a quick assessment of their current skills, interests, and goals.

If a new intern is really interested in publishing on the Kindle, then that's what she'll be studying and working on. If she's interested in writing, then that's where we'll start.

I like to assign work (for both paid contractors and for interns) based upon aptitude and interest. I find I get such better results that way.

However… of course, there is a balance between “fun” work and “necessary” work. Some things may not be fun, but they may be necessary to learn – and get done in my business.

What do they get from me?

• Feedback. I let them know what they are doing great and what can be done differently for better results.
• Access to various resources. Things I may buy just for them to go through and take notes for me.
• Access to all of my products at the end of the term.
• Direction when they ask questions. Not always answers, but definitely direction. Oftentimes, I find they learn more by being sent off to figure out the solution than to have me sit and explain it. Of course, they're sent in the right direction.

At the end of the 10 weeks, there is the possibility that they will continue to work for me.

If so, this can either morph into a coaching barter or a paid assignment.

There is also the possibility that I will refer the intern to friends who are looking for great people.

Talk to Me.

Do you work with interns? If so, do you have any questions, tips, or suggestions?

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Recommended Resources:

• Be sure to read the Transcript that Kelly offered (very generously) of an audio she produced for SoloMastermind members. There are a lot of ideas and important considerations if you're thinking about taking on your own intern. ->Click here to read that that Transcript

• Jeanette shares how to set up a private Team Training Site (to set systems for your interns to follow) in her One Hour Membership Site course.

• I use Dropbox to keep all files with my Interns and all of my staff. Here's a video that shows how I use it. Dropbox.

• I have a course “Outsource Weekly” that teaches a bunch of great stuff about Outsourcing. It's a tad outdated at the moment in specifics, but the strategies are solid. (So sign up for the free outsourcing mistakes lessons and I'll give you a heads-up when the course is updated.)

• Of course, check out all of the resources above. It's good stuff.

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

One of my favorite quotes, since I became “Mom” is this:

The days are long but the years are short.

It never ceases to amaze me how the time in a day can crawl by, while a year seems to zoom right past in a heartbeat.

That's why time management is so very important to me.

One of the biggest time drains in an online business can be other people's demands on your time.

It used to be that you could control all of your contact through three places: 1. Email, 2. Phone, and 3. Snail Mail.

We talked about How to Handle the Constant Flow of Emails in a previous Expert Briefs.

Now, between Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Forums – and more, there are way too many ways for people to contact us… whether we like it or not.

This question is for those of you who travel a lot and/or have someone else managing
your customer emails for you…

How do you handle Direct Messages (DMs)
from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Forums, etc?

Before we get into this, I in no way, shape or form would ever mean to imply that you should ignore your customers or your fans.

This post is about:

How to manage your time to the best of your abilities, while providing the most value and connection to your “tribe” or as I like to say “your peeps”- without allowing other people to control your time – and without letting the occasional stinkers get at you, derail you, or ruin your day.

On that note… here's what my friends had to say about this topic.

Kristen Eckstein of Self Publish on Demand says:

I both travel a lot and have customer support.

Sometimes my OBM (Online Business Manager) will answer DMs while I'm gone, but most of the time I tend to those myself. Anyone on Facebook or Twitter who's sending me a message probably knows I'm out of town, so when I get back one of the first things I do is respond to them. If it's been a few days and it doesn't seem like they realized I was gone, I apologize for not getting back to them sooner and continue on to answer their questions.

I prefer the personal touch with DMs. My Facebook friends know I trust them – that's why they're my friends. I can block them if they become abusive. Since I've built this level of trust with them, and I'm known for responding to posts personally, I haven't seen any problems with being a few days “late” on a reply. Also, my Facebook profile includes an email address that gets routed through my OBM.

Many times if I haven't replied to a DM within a couple of days (such as when I was without an internet connection for 8 days on the IM Success Cruise), the person sending the DM sends it to me in an email as well. My OBM gets the email, responds that I'm out of town, and answers their questions if she can. This frees me up to not worry about people trying to get in contact with me while I'm gone so I can have a good time – and it's a win for those trying to contact me as they do get a response and know when they can expect a personal reply from me.

Jeanette S. Cates, PhD of Organize Your Online Business says:

You've caught me! I ignore DMs on all social media. That's why I was surprised to get a “text” from Nicole – who was messaging me from Facebook!

My support desk link is prominently displayed on all of my websites and it is a much more dependable method for getting hold of me than DMs or email.

Alice Seba of Step-by-Step PLR with Screenshots says:

It's probably problematic for people who follow thousands or tens of thousands of people in social media. One way I deal with it is to honestly avoid those types of messages as much as I can.

• I personally don't participate in forums a lot because, at this point in my business, I believe they suck more value from my time than they give back.
• For Twitter, I don't follow everyone back and thus, I don't get a plethora of Direct Messages.
• Facebook hasn't been a very big focus for us, so our current Page following is small…but if private messages got a bit too voluminous, I'd have no qualms about shutting them off.
• As far as my personal Facebook account goes, I keep my personal and business stuff completely separate, so it's never been an issue.

I know that makes me sound unsocial and maybe a bit callous, but I have always been very mindful of time. I strongly believe in getting to know our readers and customers, but that doesn't mean my life has to be turned into one big disruption every time I log in online. We have a support system available and it's easily found from any of my websites. I believe in training our customers to use that support system and not to teach them how to use social media as a support forum because we just don't have the resources to do that. I am not a huge corporation (just a little one) and I don't have a social media team that can turn social media into a support system. So far, our wonderful customers have respected that.

Still, I do get occasional messages and how I handle them depends on my schedule and the urgency of the matter. Most times, I will copy and paste the message and give it to my virtual assistant to take care of. I might reply to the customer and say I'm using my iPhone and I don't have access to the records they need (true) and let them know my wonderful and efficient assistant will get back to them as soon as possible.

I think it's all about boundaries. If you want to be available 24/7 and through every channel, you will be. Personally, I don't want to be.

Connie Ragen Green of Huge Profits Tiny List says:

I have a wonderful assistant who answers each DM (direct message) from my social media profiles personally. She identifies herself by name, and then goes on to either answer the question or send it over to me. She stays up very late at night, so when I am fast asleep I can still be connected with people who need to reach me. This has proven to be a very good use of outsourcing, as I can't possibly answer those inquiries myself and still do what I need to do each day in my business.

The questions from my readers who hit ‘reply' to one of my emails come directly to me, unless I am out of town for more than a day or two. If someone has a question about an offer I am recommending, I prefer to answer those myself as quickly as possible. I believe you have to experiment with this model to see what works best for you, and know that having help in this area is an excellent way to grow your business more quickly.

Shannon Cherry of Quick Tweaks for More Profit says:

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Well, I asked the question, because I was hoping for some magic tool or answer. Rats.

I have a great customer support system in place that is  checked and answered daily, plus I have a second Virtual Manager who pops in once a day just to make sure my support person didn't get hit by a beer truck or something. So that side of things is handled just fine.

Facebook is really the big problem for me, simply because I use it so much and I love it, but the messaging system is just not efficient for me. Plus, if I travel for a few days, I don't want a customer issue sitting in my Direct Messages, simply because I'm off enjoying life.

When it comes to my Facebook Page messages, I never think of going to read them, so I would hate for someone to really need help and not get it.

Here's what I discovered.

Facebook Page Messages. You Can Turn them Off.

If you've got “Contact” information all over your sales pages and in your emails and on your blog, etc. – and if you're not regularly checking your Facebook page messages (like I wasn't) – then go ahead and turn off the Direct Messages if you need to.

Here's how…

Go to whichever of your Facebook pages that you want to turn off the messaging.

Then go to settings and choose “Manage Permissions”.

On that page, you'll see this line.

Unclick the checkbox and save. Voila.

What about Twitter?

As far as Twitter messages go, they got so spammy that I don't really think that anyone communicates important messages on there anymore.

I don't check mine. Do you?

And, YouTube?

I set my account so that all comments and video responses are moderated unless it's a friend.

So, every few weeks, over a glass of wine, I go through those and approve the ones that aren't totally insane. (Hence the wine….)

Forum DMs.

Forums have been harder for me, simply because I want to be available to help people – BUT I also need to cherish my time (not just protect it, but cherish it).

So, I have had to come up with a pat answer when people DM me for personal help and that is to direct them back to the forum and then alert me of the post. If I can help, I will do so in the forum post, but that I can't personally help in Direct Messages. That's what my coaching clients pay me for.

Squidoo.

I outsource this.

Facebook Profile DMs.

Here I'm still stuck. I am friends with everyone from my Grandmother to my customers and JV partners on my Facebook Personal page. Basically, if I know you, we can be friends. So, it's hard to outsource.

I normally tell people right away to please contact me at my email address (or send them directly to my help desk if necessary).

However, I am definitely open to suggestions here.

Thanks much everyone for reading!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

Recommended Resource:

Blog CPR:
Because Blogging Should Not Be a Chore.

Check it out here: Blog CPR

Pay Attention To What You Gripe About
(How UseYourPLR.com Came To Be)

by Kelly McCausey

I love Private Label Rights (PLR) content. It has been a major game changer, both for those who buy it and definitely for those who sell it. I've been on both sides, I've created and sold it and I've bought and used it. If PLR had never been invented, some of my projects would look quite different. Thank Goodness for PLR! I should start a PLR Fan Club and be the president, but…

I have a confession to make.

For the last six months I've been fighting back an urge to go on a tirade about it. I've wanted to get up on my soap box and yell: “Stop Buying All That PLR!”

I'm serious! I've outlined blog posts about it. I considered promoting a big webinar, all to shout my message as loud and far as possible. “Don't Buy Anymore PLR!”

Why did I feel that way? Why would I, a PLR fanatic, want to discourage people from buying it?

Here's why: In my work as a coach I get to delve into other people's business. I see how they spend their money and I see how they spend their time. Some of my clients have been with me for more than a year – so I have a long view of their habits, strengths and weaknesses.

I gotta tell you, PLR is very often a big weakness.

Don't worry, I won't be naming ‘real' names. I'll use a pseudonym

You know how I feel about PLR. It's great! I buy and I use it. There is a small stash of unused PLR on my computer, but not a lot. For several years now I only buy PLR that I know I can use on a current project.

Unfortunately one of my favorite clients (I'll call her Betty) has had a very different approach to PLR. Instead of choosing PLR based on a current project, she bought PLR based on the idea that she would ‘find a way to use it'.

In the last 4 years Betty spent over $3000 on PLR articles, reports, ebooks and products. Before you decide she's nuts, think about it, that's an average of $62 per month. I know plenty of people who spend that much on a regular basis.

Betty's not dumb. She's a smart gal with useful skills and great desire to build a business that can support her family. She didn't set out to blow thousands of dollars on business tools that she would never use… but that's exactly what she did.

Yep. In all this time, Betty hasn't actually used any of the PLR she bought.

When I realized how much she'd spent, I felt physically ill. When I had a chance to look at some of the PLR she had purchased it only made me feel worse but that's another topic.

Betty isn't the only one. I actually found this to be a trend among my clients. No one else had spent as much but at least seven other people admitted to spending over a thousand dollars on PLR that was sitting unused on their computer.

That's when I started feeling that urge to jump up and down and say ‘Please, please STOP buying PLR!'

And I did. I asked my clients to promise that they would stop buying new PLR until they'd used some of what they had. That didn't feel like enough though, I wanted to email my list and beg them to stop buying PLR. I wanted to blog it, podcast it, hold a webinar, take ads on other sites…

I didn't do any of that of course. I was so torn about though! Many of my good friends run PLR businesses, I didn't want to declare some kind of boycott on their products. I just wanted people to THINK about what they were doing. So, for quite awhile I just griped about it.

I griped about it a lot.

Then, I had an epiphany:

I'm tired of griping!

Griping is such a waste of energy and brain space. I decided, doggone it, I'm gonna DO something about this. Who cares if my friends run PLR businesses, I feel strongly about this – I'm gonna get out there and spread my message! “Stop buying all that PLR until you use some that you already have!”

Then, thankfully, I had another epiphany.

If I were going to do something like that, I'd better have some advice handy to help them use their PLR – and that's when the idea sparked.

In one big blurry moment I realized, the message I wanted to share was not to tell people to stop buying PLR, it was to encourage them to use it! With that, the vision for UseYourPLR.com came to life.

I stopped griping, scribbled out some mad notes and clicked over to register the domain name. I brought on an awesome Project Manager and assembled a great team of writers and assistants. Less than a month later, we are open for business.

Use Your PLR has one mission and that is to help you put your PLR to profitable use.

Now Betty and others like her can come to us with their PLR and hire us to take it and put it into action. She's pretty excited about it

So, a question for you: What are you griping about?

Your gripes might just hold the key to a passion that would make a great business.

Another question for you: Do you have unused PLR sitting around?

IF so, come on over to Use Your PLR and let us take some action for you

Smart businesspeople who either don't outsource at all or who barely outsource.

Perhaps you struggle with one of these things? (Time for one of my famous doodles…)

If you're not following the doodle, the list of items include…

1. Lack of Time
2. Don't think you can afford to outsource
3. You're not motivated to outsource because it'll take work.
4. You can't find someone who is motivated to work.
5. Don't know what to outsource?
6. Afraid to outsource?
7. You don't have enough confidence in your business model – to think that it'll pay off.
8. You don't have enough confidence in yourself as a leader or people manager to even begin.

What is stopping you? Talk to me. I want to know.

Recommended Resource.

Tonight, I'm doing a webinar with David Perdew of NAMS about Outsourcing. It's geared towards the 300 level – which means for people who have started to see success and are making a living online – even if it's not what they'd like it to be yet.

However, even if you're just starting to make money, I hope this will be helpful.

And, don't worry… if outsourcing is scary to you, it's ok. My entire presentation consists of those doodles — so you don't have to be afraid of any big corporate talk. It's just common sense stuff for us small business folks who need to know how to outsource better.

Come on by. You can watch the replay here: Nicole Dean webinar 10/05/2011

However, only NAMS members will get the recording forever. So, if you want that, you'll need to be a member of NAMS. (You get tons of other stuff, too.) Click here to check it out and note the coupon on the page ( MyNAMS85) that drops the price by 85%.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

My friend, Melissa Ingold, has put together several amazing pieces of PLR that you can use to set up your own customer support – or to hire someone to handle it for you.

These PLR docs are PERFECT for getting your inbox cleaned out and getting back your life.

You'll find the following either to use for personal use or to create courses to sell:

• How To Train Your Customer Service Staff – PLR Report
• Customer Service with Gmail & Gmail Labs – PLR Report
• Customer Service Support Pack – PLR FAQs & Comparison Charts

Check it out here:
Get Stuff Done with this PLR

Part of having passive income is being able to ESCAPE your inbox. Are you “on-call” 24/7 or can you disappear for a weekend without worry?

If not – these kits are perfect to get you going.

Get Stuff Done with this PLR

Also on that page, you can grab a package of 5 free PLR articles.

Have a fantastic day! You deserve it.

Warmly,
Nicole Dean

— RECOMMENDED “DONE FOR YOU” OUTSOURCING RESOURCES —

If you need a constant supply of articles (like if you'd started a PLR site), then be sure to check out this site:
Hire Writers

Speaking of affiliates… Did you know that I'll recruit affiliates
for you for your affiliate program for only $10/month?

Here's the scoop:
Let me Recruit Affiliates for You

If you've missed past Expert Briefs, you can click on the undies to see them all –>

The question for this week is about outsourcing. I got this from a friend on Instant Messenger. I'll have to reword it a bit, but the gist is…

The questions in my head is about frickin' “entrepreneurs” masquerading as service providers – how do you find people that stick? Basically, I hire people who'd rather putter around in their own business than to actually work in a job as a service provider – which they were hired to do. I pay well and I'm easy to work for. What's the deal? How do you find people who WANT to work?

I think you'll find the answers this week interesting and hopefully motivating.

Rachel Rofe of RachelRofe.com says:

I totally understand your frustrations and have been there many times before.

I like testing people with small tasks first, seeing if they perform, and then giving them bigger ones.

I will never EVER entrust anybody with a big project until they've proven themselves. (I used to have a company with 120+ contracted employees so I've been burned a lot!)

I know this approach takes a little more time but it's well worth it in the end (and you can outsource the process to a virtual assistant so you don't have to worry).

You could also look for word of mouth referrals, check internet marketing forums, or do internet searches to gauge for reviews of specific providers.

Also, if you need a specific service provider, feel free to leave a comment at RachelRofe.com – I know a TON of people and would be happy to help!

Note from Nicole:
Rachel knows outsourcing. Her Outsourcing Report is very good (and affordable). I bought it and recommend it.

Check it out here: Happy Outsourcing

Connie Ragen Green of ConnieGreen.com says:

I have excellent experiences with outsourcing because I look for people who have fun doing the things I can't do or don't like to do. This makes a lot of sense, if you think about it.

In the beginning I tried to do everything myself, as many new entrepreneurs do. When it came to graphic design, I was beyond terrible. I even took a PhotoShop class at my local community college, but it did not help me at all. Then I found someone who had been playing around with graphics and web design since she was about 12 years old, and who was now doing it for others. She creates beautiful designs for me, including the cover of my first book, as well as my soon to be released next book.

Each day I take a look at what needs to be done in my business to see which activities I would rather not do myself. Then I turn that task over to someone who enjoys doing it. Usually the work is done more efficiently and with better quality than if I were to do it myself.

Ask others you know who they would recommend, and attend live events to meet people in person. In a group of two hundred attendees, there is more than likely someone who can help you do most anything you need help with in your business. This will free up your time to do the things you love to do, and to focus on your next steps as you build your online business.

Alice Seba of Contentrix says:

Just like with a brick and mortar business, it's not always easy getting good help, but when you find someone you hang onto them. The reverse is also true, if they aren't working out and don't seem to priorities in check, let them go.

Some ways to keep your good people:

* Communicate regularly. Make sure they are happy with the work and find out if they have any concerns.

* Communicate efficiently and be specific in your requests. There's nothing worse than a lack if clear direction and repeated revisions needed due to lack of communication.

* Help them excel in their best areas. If you hire a VA, for example, and they do certain tasks better then others, let them work in those areas. Find someone else who is good at the other stuff.

* Give them pay raises regularly, even if they don't ask. Make them feel appreciated and valued and realize someone who knows your business and is proactive in helping you with it is manifold more valuable than someone off the street.

The more you value you good work, the more good work you get.

Shannon Cherry of The Business Building Live Intensive says:

Gosh! I remember when I was going through help for my business like water. That was years ago – and it was extremely frustrating.

Today I have a great team who have stuck with me for some time. What's the secret to finding good help? It's you.

Seriously, I see many entrepreneurs blame their ‘helpers' for their ills. But the fact of the matter is, you, as the business owner, are not doing your job managing your team.

Do you have in place things like:

• job descriptions?
• policies and procedures, including a ‘trial period?'
• contracts for service providers?
• systems to get things done the way YOU want them done?
• a plan for your business and marketing?

If not, then it's your fault you can't find good help.

Many entrepreneurs hire help to be a ‘catch-all' instead of looking at the persons skills and strengths, as well as their personality. Imagine trying to get someone who is shy to try to cold call reporters. Not only will the person be unsuccessful at the task, but they will get frustrated – and often, simply disappear. (And if you are wondering, that happened to me a while back.)

The key to having a good working relationship is to have your ducks in order BEFORE you go hiring.

Felicia Slattery of Credibility and Cash Flow says:

Here's my take on finding people who want to work. It's simple, really– you go to places where those who want to work are hanging out, paying attention, and looking for work.

Places I like to go to find useful service providers:

• Fiverr.com — for $5 you can find people to do all sorts of quick, one-off types of things
• HireMyMom.com — This site is for Moms who have stepped away from the corporate world, who want to keep their skills sharp, and make some money while they are home raising their kids. You'll find highly qualified people here at very reasonable prices. Fill out an RFP and wait for the resumes.
• Elance.com — Be specific in what you're looking for, check out the feedback they received, and look for those who bid on your job to be personal in their response. Then Google them to see what you can find before hiring.

One place I'd be careful of is looking to folks on social media. While you can definitely find excellent talent and people willing to work, carefully look at how much time they seem to spend on the various social sites. If they seem to spend/waste a good portion of their days on social media chatting, they may not be doing much work in the background or they may be on social media to promote themselves — and we all know how addictive that can be. It could be difficult for some to get out of that rut and get to actual work. Not that you shouldn't look to network with people on social media, it's just not necessarily the first place I'd look when I want someone willing to roll up her sleeves and dig in.

Finally, be clear in what you are looking for and with everyone you hire draw up a simple contract or letter of agreement so you can communicate your expectations, deadlines, and other requirements. Oftentimes we get into trouble because of a lack of communication of expectations up front. Be clear about what you need, want and expect and you should easily find someone willing to meet the challenge and make some money!

Susanne Myers of AffiliateTreasureChest.com says:

I hear ya … been there, done that and it can get pretty frustrating. You're all excited to have someone take care of some crucial business tasks and then it just doesn't get done, they quit etc. Unfortunately we do sometimes have to go through quite a few assistants, VAs, service providers until we find the one that's a perfect fit. (I had to go through about 10 before I found the right one).

Let's talk about service providers for a minute. There are those that just want some tasks and a weekly or monthly paycheck in return. They are very reliable and work exclusively on this kind of stuff. The problem is you have to provide every single step of the process. They don't think outside the box, they don't see the bigger picture of where you're going with your business.

Service providers who are also entrepreneurs on the other hand will come to you with ideas and suggestions for improvement. They are the types of people you can hand an entire segment of your business to and have them run with it.

The thing to keep in mind to make this work is that these different types of assistants are motivated by different “things”. While paying well and being easy to work with is great for the first group of VAs, it won't quite cut it when you're dealing with an entrepreneurial minded person. They want more than just a paycheck for the hours they worked. One way to keep them focused on and interested in your business is to give them a cut of your profits. Another option may be to help them grow their business by referring sales, clients etc. Encourage them to work on their own products on the site and promote those if your target markets match.

One last tip and this is something I'm still working on. Document everything you have them do. Instead of just showing or emailing them about a task, take a few extra minutes to make a video or write the instructions in a word document. Save all this so you don't have to do it over if you need to train someone else.

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

Oooh. I was so tempted not to answer this question and instead just defer to the others. But, I think the question wasn't quite clear. It was about outsourcing to other entrepreneurs rather than outsourcing in general. So, let me see if I can tackle it without offending anyone… Wish me luck.

As you may know, I go through a lot of helpers.

Wait. That sounded bad. eek! I mean, running 3 PLR sites, plus my niche sites, customer support, graphics, and even managing my household — it takes a village some times.

Although this question was submitted by a friend, it's one that I've struggled with over the years.  “How do you find people who want to work? Especially if they are entrepreneurs?”

This is a frequent scenario for us…

My Content Acquisition Manager: Would you like consistent writing work for Nicole Dean?

Writer: Really? OMG. YES! I'd love that. That would be awesome. I really need the money because (insert expense here ie. my husband lost his job, we have a leaky roof, our pet needs surgery, kid just got into private school, we're moving, etc.  ).

(They discuss price and topic of articles.)

My Content Acquisition Manager:  ok. Nicole pays weekly every Friday via Mass Pay. If you'd like to get into the current week's Mass Pay (and have Nicole pay the paypal fees instead of it coming out of the payment like normal) then I need this back by (date).  Can you do that?

Writer: YES!

Looks promising, right?

Here's what happens as the deadline approaches.

My Content Acquisition Manager: Checking in. The deadline is this afternoon. How's the article pack coming?

Writer: Well… (insert story – which is likely true – here). I need an extension.

My Content Acquisition Manager: When can you have it to us?

Writer: Tomorrow afternoon.

My Content Acquisition Manager: ok. Of course, you won't be paid until next Friday since you missed the cut-off. But that's fine. It has to be to us by that time.

Still looks promising, right?

Well, the next afternoon…

My Content Acquisition Manager: Do you have the articles ready?

Writer: No, I …

My Content Acquisition Manager: We're sorry, but we won't be able to work with you.

On to the next writer.

We probably go through 3-5 writers for every one that sticks (either for actually completing the project or for the high quality standards we have). When we find a writer that sticks, that person gets consistent work.

What's my point?

There are a few lessons that I've learned about outsourcing to entrepreneurs who are freelancers.

1. Many entrepreneurs are not good motivated freelancers, because they *really* want to be focusing on building their own businesses and getting passive income.

It's an ongoing battle for the freelancer. And, I can relate because I've been BOTH, myself. Feeling “stuck” working for an hourly rate, while really wanting to have a passive income. This is fine as long as the people on both sides of the fence recognize that. Just don't let resentment build between you.  As the business owner (the one doing the hiring), you're the one taking all the risk, bringing in the leads, and the one who is ultimately responsible for the success of your business. You're responsible for having the money to pay them at the end of each month, too. That's a lot of pressure. Where there's risk, there is reward.

2. If you hire an entrepreneur-freelancer to do work for you — recognize what's important to them, and try to acknowledge that.

This normally, in my experience, is not just about money. Not that money doesn't matter, too, of course, but you can give in additional ways that are meaningful. I always talk about the “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” and how it applies to outsourcing. (If you haven't read that book, please do.)  Motivation comes from different things in different people.

It may be one or all of the following…

• Flexibility. Perhaps it's a college student or mom who needs a flexible schedule. Just knowing they can work at 9pm or 9am is enough to really keep them going.
• Doing something that matters. Hence the number of people who work for non-profit organizations.
• Feeling Appreciated. I've worked for bosses who could get me to do anything by appreciating me. Work long hours? Sure! No problem.
• Kind Words and Recognition. Similar to being appreciated, this can be huge. When I worked for Jimmy D. Brown, all he had to do was mention my name in an email that he sent to his list and I would hop around for a week, like it was my birthday.
• Doing what they Love. For some people, they want to be able to focus on their talents. So, if you find a Virtual Assistant who says that she's a customer support rep, but you find out that she plays with Search Engine Optimization in her free time for fun — then you might want to see if that's really what she'd prefer to be doing.
• Gifts. Some people like small gifts. Sending a surprise token of appreciation can be all that it takes.

And, for the entrepreneurs that I hire — oftentimes they want ME. My time. Which is fine if we've arranged that. But, of course, I can't coach every person who I work with all day long – so there is normally additional bartering that goes along with that. Even my mom expects and gets coaching time with me when she needs it.  That's part of our arrangement for her working for/with me.

Others trade work (sweat equity) for coaching time with me. I've had coaching clients for months and months — and they work for me in trade. For them, that's a better arrangement than having me pay them for their time spent working.  Each of us has profited much more from the bartering arrangement than we would have otherwise.

So what's my advice? Well… good question. Of course any outsourcing really comes down to the people on both sides of the relationship.  I've had some really great experiences and two where I had to consult my lawyer about starting litigation. (Don't ask.)

My advice is going to be a summary of what has already been said:

• Take it slowly with anyone new. Start small. Test the waters before making any commitments.
• Set up Standard Operating Procedures. This will ensure that expectations are clear from the start.
• Place people correctly. Find out what they love to do, instead of what they say they do.
• Continually look for new people. Make sure you have access to new people on a continual basis – if you need more than a few people working for you at a time.
• Understand what motivates your new hire. Praise publicly. Critique privately.
• Reassess often. The person you hire today to do a job may not be the same person who should be doing that job a year from now. (Either because they've bubbled up the ladder or down it.)
• Expect excellence, but plan for disaster. There's a saying I love – “Hope for the best, but plan for the worst.” That's the case in any area of business.

Go ahead and share your thoughts. I would love to hear your experiences on both sides of the outsourcing coin.

Hugs,
Nicole Dean

PS. Let me just say that I do encourage service providers to work on getting an alternate source of income, preferably passive income. But, not at the expense of meeting deadlines for clients or getting a bad reputation.  Schedule at least 1/2 hour every day on your own business, but keep all client obligations met. That's what I taught my mama.

Check out these Recommended Resources:

• Rachel has an Outsourcing course here: Happy Outsourcing
• I have an Outsourcing course here: Outsource Weekly
  

Here's a picture of us together. (I'm the goofy one on the left.) –>

Please give a big warm welcome to Loretta and leave lots of comments and questions so she feels the love. And, if you've got a podcast or if you record teleseminars – hire her. She's good.

Hi, this is Loretta Oliver from Teleseminars Transcribed and I’m here on Nicole’s blog to talk about something we both love…., outsourcing. It’s definitely no secret that I love outsourcing, not only is it what I do in my service based business, I also outsource to other people on the things that are not my strengths. It’s a great way to create balance in your business.

Today in particular we’re going to talk about outsourcing to a transcriptionist to have text transcripts made from your podcast, teleseminar, video, webinar, dictation or other audio files that you might have laying around on your hard drive just taking up space and not being used.

I want to cover two things really quickly, reasons why you want to have transcripts made and some tips on working with a transcriptionist.

First, let’s talk about why you want to have transcripts created in addition to your audio.

After all, audio and video are the new ways of the web right? Well, that’s sort of right. A lot of people are quick to jump on the audio and video bandwagon because it gives you a little SEO boost, it’s faster to record a video than to write an article for a lot of people, etc…

Those are all great reasons to create a video or record an audio, but in my opinion you should have a text version to go with it as well and here a few quick reasons why…

Having a transcript made gives you a new format. You've just repurposed your content with little effort on your part. You've got something new that you can give your audience in the form of a PDF as a short report. This could be free viral content or it could even be a report that you sell for small fee, depending on the content and your goal with it.

What if your customer or visitor can't hear? Technology is a wonderful thing and the internet is widely used by people everywhere today. Unfortunately, a lot of those people are hearing impaired.

If they've landed on your site via a search, that means you have something they're looking for, but if you're only offering audio and video versions they can't hear it and if you’re not offering a text version then they aren't going to get what they came searching for in the first place and they're going to move on away from your site and find a site that meets their needs.

Surrounding area may not allow for easy listening. The internet is portable these days and folks are surfing the web at lightning fast speeds in all sorts of places. Let’s say your video or podcast has the answer to the problem they are querying in Google right now – that’s awesome right? Maybe not so much if you don’t have the text to go with it. What if they are in a crowded subway station with no headphones and they can’t hear over the noise? Or in a quiet office waiting room with no speakers or no headphones?

In the case of info products and online courses, sometimes people just like to have the text format to read and follow along with the audio or video. They can print it out, highlight, and takes notes on it if they want to. They can read along on their screen if they want to. They can watch or listen first and then read later, or refer to the text when they are working on what you just taught them. The addition of the transcript allows them to consume your content in the way that's best for them, and that's always a good thing.

Now let’s talk about getting your transcript created.

This is the easy part for you because you’ve already created the main content, which is the audio or video file, and you just need to send that to a transcriptionist to get the text version created. There are a few things you want to consider for your transcripts and in most cases your transcriptionist is going to guide you through the process painlessly.

First, make sure your transcriptionist accepts the file formats that you have, especially if you’re using video because not all transcriptionists work with video.

Is your audio sound quality good and clear with no static or background noise? Many transcriptionists, myself included, will charge an additional fee for poor quality audio that is difficult to hear the speakers on.

A similar consideration to think about is are all the parties involved speaking clearly and easy to understand. On occasion a mumbling guest or a thick difficult to understand accent may cost you a slightly extra fee as well. Those are most likely the only times you’ll incur extra fees unless you request rush delivery or some special formatting.

Thanks for hanging out with me today here on Nicole's blog and thanks to Nicole for letting me talk shop while she's away. If you have any questions about transcription please do ask, I'll be hanging around to answer some Q&A in the comments section here, or you can email me from my website if you prefer to ask privately.

Kind Regards,

Loretta has more than 7 years of transcription service experience and strives to deliver a quality product to each and every client, no matter the size of the project.

Requests for transcription are accepted at Teleseminars Transcribed for any length from 5 minutes of personal dictation to an ongoing series of hour long teleseminars.

Note from Nicole: And she's awesome!

So, let's jump in.

The question I asked our experts today is:

“What is your #1 tip that you'd give someone who's making some money online but is spending too much time in front of their computer — to encourage them to begin outsourcing?”

And, here are our expert replies.

Connie Ragen Green says:

I was reluctant to outsource any part of my business for two reasons. First, I believed that no one would care as much about my business as I did, and that it would not be done the way I like it. Second, I was sure that I was not making enough money yet and couldn't possibly afford to pay someone else to help me.

One Saturday afternoon in the spring of 2007 I was struggling with setting up a new web page. I was using FrontPage 2003, a program no longer available, and the settings were way off. My graphic was too far to the right, and the text would not align properly. I had a charity event to help with in my community that evening, and I was determined to get my work finished first.

After two hours of fighting with this program I finally decided to ask for help. I called the woman who had shown me how to set up my websites in the past, and asked her if she could please create the page I needed and have it ready for me by Monday. She said yes. I trusted that this situation would all work out, and left for my event.

On Monday morning I received an email with the link to the new web page. I could not believe my eyes! She had done a beautiful job, and what she had created was far better than anything I could have imagined. She had created a new graphic that was crisp and clear, and added a design along the bottom of the page that made it look professional. Her fee to do this was less than I had thought. I looked back at my homemade page and promised myself right then and there that I would always outsource this type of work.

Within a month I began outsourcing my article submissions, and now I have others do what I am not good at and do not like to do on a regular basis.

My #1 tip is to take a look at the one thing you know you are not very good at doing, and may even dread doing, and find someone who can do it for you. This will free up time and energy that will be better spent doing the parts of your business you love.

Mark Mason of MasonWorld.com says:

The key to outsourcing when you are just getting started is identify a task that meets four criteria:

1) It's a small manageable task that can be easily explained

2) It's a task that you really don't like (like link building, posing articles, or updating plugins, etc)

3) It's a task that does not have to be absolutely perfect and is not time critical

4) It's a task that has to be done over and over again

Once you find a task like that, then you should be jumping up and down to get rid of it.

The key to success is a great procedure. Do the task yourself one last time. Video yourself doing the task. Review the video, and outline the key steps. Provide the outline and the video to your new virtual assistant.

Don't let the term virtual assistant scare you. A VA can be anyone (your mom, a person you never met in India, your cousin's boyfriend who is between jobs, your 14-year-old son, etc). The key thing is to take action. The more you outsource, the more you'll like it.

Shannon Cherry of The Power Publicist says:

OK, I'll admit it… I'm a control freak.

Being a control freak has it's benefits. After all, it allows me to know every aspect of my business. However, being a control freak can also limit your ability to make more money in your business.

For example, I can create my ezine every week. But I'm no pro, so it takes me about 3 hours to do the same work Amy, my administrative director, can do in just half the time. And since she charges much less an hour than I do, I can outsource to her and make more money doing high-value client work.

But still, I am a control freak, so it's hard to let go, even when I see the obvious value. So here's my secret: written systems.

I have a complete knowledge base in a free project management system called Officezilla (www.officezilla.com). In that knowledge base, I've put a complete checklist of each task, like how to do the ezine, in exactly the way I want it done. Any person I assign the task can follow the checklist to make sure it's done just the way I want it.. That way I am still in control, get my work done AND make more money.

Ronnie Nijmeh of PLR.me (<-click for a free offer from Ronnie) says:

My #1 tip to begin outsourcing is to make your tasks as bullet proof, simple, and structured as possible. That means creating some kind of system or format to follow.

I've made the mistake of giving people too much, too fast, with too much freedom, and that just burns people out.

I've also made the mistake of trying to hire one person to tackle multiple jobs and that's a recipe for disaster. I'd spend more time teaching and training than if I had just done the job myself in the first place.

But whenever I've fully documented the task, ensured the person completely understands the instructions, and the person has the right skill set for the job, things tend to work out quite well.

The more specific the instructions are, the less that can go wrong, especially if you're going to use video tutorials using JingProject.com.

The bottom line is, your business isn't an island and you can't possibly do everything yourself. The better you get at outsourcing, the faster your business will grow, and the more you'll make.

And, here's my 2 cents. I wrote this before reading the others just to make sure I wouldn't let their ideas sway mine.

Nicole Dean of .. here! .. says:

One of my favorite topics to discuss is outsourcing.

You'd be amazed how it flummoxes everyone from the newest newbies to the seasoned gurus and everyone in between.

Buy why? Why is it so very confusing?  Most of us manage to outsource quite nicely in our day to day lives.

I oftentimes pose this question to my coaching clients –

If you get a cavity, will you fill it yourself? (I hope not!)

When you go to a restaurant, do you head back into the kitchen and cook your own food? (That's just silly.)

And, if your appendix burst right now, would you go online to search for how to take it out at home? (Please say “no”.)

Of course not!

But, why do we think it's ok to do everything ourselves in our businesses?

I can't figure out what it is, but I think I'm starting to narrow it down.

• Lack of confidence in ourselves.
• Lack of confidence in the potential of our business.
• Fear of losing control.
• Costs. (Oftentimes, though, you can get help for a lot less than you think it'll cost.)
• Not knowing who to outsource work to. (Needing a recommendation.)
• Not wanting to take the time to outsourcing. (You think: “It's quicker to do it myself.”)

No matter which of those it is, there comes a point with all of us, where you HAVE to outsource — at least if you ever want to be able to go on a real vacation where you leave the internet behind and relax with your loved ones.

I know. I know. If you've been following me for any amount of time – you've heard this song and dance before. BUT! While outsourcing isn't perfect, it's a heck of a lot better than putting the chains on your wrists from a job that you've created for yourself where you can't escape.

So, my #1 tip for outsourcing is to try it.

Choose something small and work from there.

• Graphics to promote your products.
• Submitting some articles that you've written to the article directories.
• Finding blogs to guest post on and contacting the owners.
• Answering some emails regarding customer issues.

It really doesn't matter where you start. The big thing is taking that first step so that you can enjoy the FREEDOM that comes with the online lifestyle.

Start small. Don't go crazy. But, when you find someone who you work well with – build on that relationship so you have access to great people who know your style and who you're comfortable working with. When I need a project done, I have my own personal rolodex of fabulously skilled people who I turn to on a regular basis. Not only does it save me time – but it also helps me to get great prices because they already know what I like, they know that I'm easy to work with and that I pay on time.

Of course that's just one tip. I'm full of ideas. In fact, as you'll see in a moment, I've created an entire course about how to outsource in your online business – including a free ecourse about common outsourcing mistakes that you can get immediately. Keep reading for details.

How Can You Learn More about Outsourcing?

Well, I happen to teach a course on the topic. 

You can check it out here: www.OutsourceWeekly.com (Be sure to sign up for the free “Outsourcing Mistakes” lessons on the top of the page.)

Please post your reasons for Outsourcing (or for NOT Outsourcing) – as well as your tips, questions, or concerns – below. I do read them all, and will try my best to answer as many as I can.

Thank you!

Warmly,
Nicole Dean