Ever had one of those days? Your coaching session’s in full swing, and ding – there’s that email about a tech glitch on your website.
Oh, and when was the last time you updated your social media?
Let’s face it – running a business of any kind is hard work. And coaching businesses are no different. This is where outsourcing comes into play.
But why outsource if you can just do it all yourself? While it is possible to run a simple coaching business solo, there are several scenarios where outsourcing makes more sense for coaches.
Keep reading to learn about:
- What is outsourcing?
- Reasons for outsourcing as a coach
- Why is outsourcing important
- When to outsource
What Is Outsourcing?
Outsourcing is when you give outside professionals or companies certain tasks instead of doing them yourself.
You’re a coach and great at coaching (at least, I hope you are!). But maybe updating your website or posting on social media isn’t your strong suit, so you hire a freelancer to help you out.
Or maybe you’re completely overwhelmed with administrative tasks and hand it over to a virtual assistant.
That’s outsourcing.
Reasons for Outsourcing as a Coach
So why outsource to other people as a coach? Here are just a handful of the many reasons why!
1. Maximize your strengths
You started coaching because that’s your passion and strength. Outsourcing lets you hone in on your coaching sessions without the distraction of other tasks.
In other words, it lets you focus on your zone of genius.
2. Quality assurance
When you hand over tasks to someone specialized, you’re hiring someone whose zone of genius lies in that field. And that’s another valid reason to outsource.
They’ve done it many times before and have fine-tuned their skills. This means the job will get done better than if you had done it yourself… at least, if you hire someone talented at what they do!
For instance, let’s say you want your social media to have a beautiful aesthetic. You could whip up some images on Canva. But hiring a graphic designer will likely give you a better result… at least if you suck at graphic design like me!
To illustrate (pun intended), let’s look at the Instagram profile for book writing coach The Plottery. Just by looking at these graphics, you can tell they were custom-designed by someone who knows what they’re doing.
3. Cut on labor costs
Let’s get real – there aren’t many coaches who can afford to hire an in-house team full-time. Hiring flexible part-time support is one of many reasons to outsource!
For example, I don’t have any in-house employees. But I hire a bookkeeper for 2-5 hours per month, as needed. That’s because I’d rather do what I’m good at than learn the ins and outs of good bookkeeping.
And because the amount of bookkeeping tasks can vary drastically, I work with someone like me, who is self-employed and who can vary the hours she bills me based on how much work I need.
4. Adaptable resources
Your needs can change. Maybe one month, you’re launching a new coaching program, and the next, you want to focus on client outreach.
Outsourcing provides the flexibility to adjust resources based on demand. The first time I tried launching a membership program, I outsourced a lot of the tech work and project management to another team so that I could focus on marketing strategy and program delivery. But I didn’t need that much help every month!
6. Efficient scaling
If your goal is to scale your coaching business, you can’t do it alone. As your client base grows, your tasks will multiply. Even if you scale with a group program, you’ll get more client support tickets than ever before.
Outsourcing offers a smoother transition than hiring full-time staff right away. It helps you work smarter, not harder and keeps your coaching business running smoothly – even at scale.
For example, outsourcing is exactly how Paperbell is run! The founder, Laura Roeder, doesn’t hire full-time staff. Instead, she outsources specific tasks to freelancers and contractors like me or our project manager Irene.
Once all the pieces were in place, we could scale the number of posts we put out each month on the Paperblog without adding complexity.
But scaling with full-time staff would have likely required hiring and training new people!
Why Is Outsourcing Important?
Outsourcing mainly ensures you’re not stretched too thin in your coaching business. You do your best work when you’re focused, and that’s precisely what this offers. By letting experts handle other tasks, you can stay sharp without draining all your energy or going into burnout.
But that’s not all. Have you ever heard of opportunity cost?
For every task you decide to focus on, you also lose an opportunity to focus on something else.
Here’s an example: I mentioned I’m not a great designer. So, for every mediocre graphic I create in Canva on my own, that’s an hour of my time I could have spent writing great content or coaching a client.
I would have gotten a way better graphic if I had just outsourced the task to a designer. And I would have put my energy in a place where I could get much better results.
And this is why outsourcing is important. The bigger your vision for your coaching business, the more tasks you’ll have to outsource to reach that vision. Because every little task that gets in the way of your vision will be another opportunity cost.
When To Outsource
Are you feeling swamped with time-consuming tasks? Maybe it’s time to think about outsourcing. It’s difficult to spot the right moment, but some clear signs can guide you.
First, if you’re always racing against the clock or feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day, that’s a big hint. It’s a sign you’re taking on too much and could use some help so that you can focus on your core business tasks.
Next, think about where you’re spending most of your time. Is it on tasks that push your business forward? Or are you caught up in background tasks? If you’re spending a chunk of your day on things like paperwork or admin jobs, it might be time to get someone else to handle those.
Another sign to outsource is if you’re stuck doing tasks you hate. For example, if you love coaching but hate tech, consider hiring someone for a one-off project when setting up your website.
And don’t forget about business growth. If things feel stagnant and you’re stuck in a routine, bringing in outside help can shake things up. New people mean new ideas and new ways to grow your coaching business.
In short, it’s probably time to outsource if you’re stressed, stuck, or swamped.
And if you have a series of tasks that are taking you away from what you do best, that’s another important sign to outsource.
Before You Outsource: Streamline Your Coaching Business
Outsourcing is a game-changer for online coaches. It gives you the chance to focus on your core skills, access the knowledge of others, work more efficiently, and sidestep the risk of burnout.
But if you’re not ready to outsource just yet, there are other ways to cut down on the overwhelm! For instance, you can streamline the admin side of your coaching business with Paperbell.
Paperbell is the dead-simple system that takes care of appointment scheduling, payments, contract signing, client admin, and so much more! It takes minutes to set up and is a much more affordable alternative to outsourcing if you’re still early in your coaching business. Try it for free to see for yourself!