In today’s mobile and digital age, more small businesses are being started than ever before. The Internet has made possible countless businesses a person can operate from home or with a small office and with very little overhead. The challenge for entrepreneurs is keeping on top of all the tasks necessary to keep the business running. This involves wearing numerous hats and often having your attention pulled in several different directions. 
The good news for entrepreneurs today is that many of the essential tasks that need to be done can be outsourced. Sure, outsourcing involves budgeting the money to bring in help, but when you consider the cost of doing everything yourself and the resulting loss in business productivity (often referred to as opportunity cost), outsourcing can often save you money in the long run.
The key for small businesses on a budget is to prioritize the areas where it makes sense to turn it over to someone with greater expertise who can perform the tasks better and allow you to focus on what you do best; building your business. Here are five tasks every entrepreneur should consider outsourcing:
Web Development: Every small business needs an online presence and without it, you are missing out on one of the most cost-efficient ways to grow your business. Web development is more than just designing a nice website and making it live. It also involves strategies to make your site more visible. There are tools today that allow entrepreneurs to build a decent website on their own. However, most will find it difficult to optimize the site for search engine exposure, make it readable on mobile devices, and everything else involved with developing your Web presence.
Content Production and Social Media: Producing content and promoting content via social media is a Web development adjunct that is time consuming. To continue growing your digital presence, it is important to produce fresh content that is geared toward your target market on a regular basis. Unless you like to write and/or are able to produce your own videos, this is an area that is best left to the experts.
Administrative Assistance/Secretarial: There are numerous repetitive tasks, such as filling out forms, sorting through incoming emails, sending out marketing emails, etc. that could be done by an administrative assistant. If you do not have the budget to hire an in-house secretary, there are virtual assistants available for hire from all over the world. Outsourcing websites such as Elance and Odesk are great places to start your search for an affordable virtual assistant.
Virtual Office/Business Location: This might not be considered “outsourcing” per se, but it is a similar principle. Many entrepreneurs have a dilemma; they need to show clients they have a professional business location, but they lack the budget and/or have no need for a full-time office. A virtual office allows you to secure the professional location you need along with other customizable services such as phone answering, conference room access and even a part-time private office. Plans vary by company and which services you need, but most start at around $50 per month.
Accounting, Taxes, and Payroll: The one area businesses of all sizes have traditionally outsourced is their accounting and taxes, and there are two good reasons for this. First, doing your own taxes can lead to errors and inaccuracies, which can get you into trouble with Uncle Sam. Secondly, a local accounting firm can leverage their expertise to find all the deductions your business qualifies for and put you in the best possible financial position. These days, many accountants also offer payroll services. If you have employees, outsourcing payroll is another service to strongly consider as it can save you the headache of having to deal with payroll tax compliance on your own.