When you first start out in business, it’s highly likely that you will engage with outsourcing. At the end of the day, nobody has all of the skills required to set up a small business entirely independently. At least, not without years of training, education, and experience. When you want to set up a business, you want to do it fast, so it makes sense to draw in the skillsets of numerous individuals to get your company up and running as quickly as possible.
You’re likely to call in the help of a web designer to create a functional, navigable, and aesthetically pleasing webpage for your business. You will probably collaborate with a professional photographer and a copywriter to create eye catching and sales driven content for your website and advertisements. You will likely outsource your market research, your advertising, and your marketing. All of this is brilliant for getting your business up off the ground and running. But as time goes by, you may want to consider taking more aspects of your business back into your own hands!
The Benefits of Bringing Things In-House
Bringing any area of your business in-house provides you with more control. You can closely manage each process that goes towards making your business a success. Bringing things in-house also means that staff are dedicated to your company and its progression, rather than focusing on the needs of multiple companies who are outsourcing work at once. Finally, bringing any area of your business in-house is also likely to be more cost efficient. After all, when you outsource, the companies or individuals you are outsourcing to are taking significant profit on top of the actual operational costs of what they are doing on your behalf.
Areas to Bring In-House
- Manufacturing – once you know that your product sells and that there is demand for it, you needn’t worry about investing in the necessary manufacturing equipment to create the products yourself. Whether your business revolves around wood briquetting or the creation of lightbulbs, you will be able to purchase the necessary equipment and hire the competent staff to create these products without outsourcing.
- Market Research – most of us initially outsource market research to agencies who already have consumer contacts on their books. But you really do need to conduct a lot of regular market research to keep up to date with consumer trends. Having an in-house market research department allows you to keep a constant finger on the pulse of consumer habits.
- IT Support – when you have an in-house IT department, your staff will be more familiar with your business’ operating systems. Rather than having to familiarise themselves with your software and systems before tackling problems, they will already have a thorough understanding and be able to jump right into resolving issues.
Sure, outsourcing tends to be great for first time business owners who have just started out. But once you have established your company, you really should consider bringing things back in-house! There are too many benefits to ignore!
