So, funny story…

I just got on my computer to write a message to my team that I wasn’t going to write a blog post this week.

Let me tell you, writing a post is the LAST thing I feel like doing. I’m tired. Exhausted actually.

This past week I got sick, probably thanks to a combo of Calgary’s up and down weather and running myself a bit too hard. I have this habit of getting excited and biting off more than I can chew, and I think it just caught up with me.

So when I saw what I’d planned to write about for today’s post I laughed.

I’d written down “When you don’t have time to do all the things” on my content calendar. On a day when I’d run myself into the ground by trying to do all the things.

Seriously. If that’s not a cosmic slap in the face, I don’t know what is.

If you’re self employed you get it, right? We always have so many ideas constantly running through our heads. At the same time, we want to do it all and we have a hard time staying focused.

I’m still a bit like that. But I’m learning and growing. This year, I committed to outsourcing the tasks that stressed me out the most, and it’s been amazing for my business and my mental heaIth.

3 Thing I Outsourced (and I’m so glad I did!)

#1: Management

I hired an OBM (online business manager) to help rein in this creative visionary mind of mine.

An online business manager breaks my big visions down into steps and tasks, and then delegates them to the right people. She also follows up on those tasks so that things actually get done! It’s been amazing to work with her.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: I know where I want to go, I just don’t always know how to get there. I see A-Z, but struggle with the steps in between like b,c,d,e,f…you get the idea.

It’s been super helpful to have someone who is more detailed oriented help out my with my business. That’s why Jillian is in my life!

#2: Bookkeeping

I finally hired a bookkeeper this year! OMG, yes. Have I told you I’m not great at organization? Ha.

My bookkeeper has actually saved me a ton of money because they actually showed me how I can simplify and reduce business expenses less in the long run. HELLO money well spent already!

This is one of the first things I think every entrepreneur should outsource, because it’s been such a huge stress-reliever to let someone else handle this. If you don’t know where to start, start asking around for get referrals. Referrals are always the best way to go! (This works really well for any professionals you want to hire.)

#3: Writing and Editing

I’m not a grammar girl. Spelling is a challenge for me. I like to write, but it takes me forever to get my thoughts organized and written out in a way that actually makes sense.

So I hired someone to organize my thoughts for me!

Working with a content writer/copywriter has been amazing.

Maybe I should let McKella fill in the blank as to what exactly the definition of a copywriter is. Take it away McKella!

Hi everybody! *waves

I’m a content writer/copywriter, which are kind of different things. Copy is the text in ad material (like sales pages) and content is what you’re reading right now: blog posts meant to entertain and educate.

I don’t actually write Dawn’s content for her. What happens is that Dawn sets a timer for about ten minutes and does a “brain dump,” or writes out her thoughts as fast as she can. She then sends me the raw document so I can edit, revise, and reorganize the text so that her thoughts are clear and well-developed.

Dawn’s great at getting her ideas out, so I just clean it up. It’s super fun!

(Dawn again!) So I do write my own stuff for the most part, but McKella looks it over and organizes (there’s that word again) any of my disjointed and “that doesn’t fit or make sense” sentences.

This saves me so much time and stress. Instead of staring at my computer screen for hours trying to make what I write grammatically correct, McKella, who enjoys/excels at all things words, does that for me.

You seriously don’t want to see how many red squiggly lines are all over this page as I write the rough copy! Sorry McKella.

McKella: No problem!

So there’s my 3 things I’ve outsourced. Let me tell you, it has helped me focus more on the things I am good at and allowed me to get more done.

Not gonna lie, it’s scary to start spending the money before seeing the profit. But if you do it right with the right people, the payoff is so good!