 by Mike Gonsalves, StrategicFusion
Hardly!
Outsourcing is as American as Mom and Apple Pie! A lot
of people believe that outsourcing is the problem with
America's economy today. For the most part they equate
outsourcing with sending jobs overseas (off-shoring).
The fact is that outsourcing started long ago when
production lines where first formed to manufacture
everything from nails for building to autos for driving.
Yes,
outsourcing has gotten very sophisticated over the last
decade or so. Yes, we are competing on a global scale
for jobs, especially in certain sectors. But the fact
remains that small businesses can help themselves grow
and thrive by outsourcing tasks that are:
1. Difficult
to master quickly
2. Better done by someone at a
lower overall (more efficient) pay scale
For example,
you can do your taxes yourself, or you can hire an
accountant. I don't hire an accountant to add the
numbers up for me on a form (Turbo Tax can do that just
fine). I hire an accountant to make sure the numbers are
in the right boxes, that's outsourcing. It would take me
months (or years) to gain even the slightest competitive
advantage on my accountant, so I rely on him and his
firm to do the best job possible.
In another
example, when you are thinking about moving your
business, are you going to go to a commercial realtor an
expert on getting the best deals in the market or are
you going to wing it on your own? Wing it and the odds
are strong that your new space will cost you more than
if you had used a professional.
Think about
it, we all outsource every day, whether it's educating
our children, going to the gym, having our car repaired
or eating out for lunch or dinner. We rely on the
expertise of others to help us get through the
day. | 
