GET MORE SH*T DONE
Or should someone else do it for you?
Each small business is its own unique adventure, but there is one thing they all have in common: New business owners need to get tons of sh*t done.
What’s the best way to do it all? Is it better to outsource or DIY by training existing staff or simply learning how to do things yourself?
“Team Outsource” and “Team DIY” present their cases below, but TBH, there’s no need to be a die-hard fan of either option. (You’ll probably switch back and forth between them as you grow your business and your needs change.)
Team Outsource
- Outsourcing will save you time and money! Full-time employees are an expensive commitment, and learning how to do things yourself costs a lot of TIME.
- Outsourcing will free you up to focus on big-picture priorities like the visionary entrepreneur you are.
- Outsourcing can help you fill in knowledge and skill gaps so you can grow faster and stronger.
You might want to “root” for this team if/when…
- Your business is just getting off the ground, and you have a mile-long list of tasks that needed to be done yesterday.
- You have a very specific project that requires specialized (but temporary) expertise.
- You have a need that no one on your team (including yourself) possesses the appropriate skills to fill.
Team DIY
- Doing it yourself gives you full control. You can make sure everything is done according to your specifications, and you won’t rack up extra freelancer charges if you need to go through rounds of changes.
- Doing it yourself saves you from costly and aggravating misunderstandings and miscommunications. You’ll spend more time doing the work, but you won’t have to worry about the nuances of communicating your vision.
- Doing it yourself allows you to be number one. You can take care of needs immediately, without waiting for a freelancer’s schedule to open up.
You might want to “root” for this team if/when…
- You have a very particular vision or persona you want to establish before others can understand it and execute it for you.
- You run a niche business and don’t have time to explain the nuances to people who don’t already get it.
- You want to cultivate a strong sense of teamwork, passion, and camaraderie.
TOGETHER WITH TRAVELPERK
Bringing teams together – how do you do it?
Whether you’re in a hybrid work environment, back to the office full time, or remote first, next generation business travel platform TravelPerk wants to get your thoughts on bringing your team together in the coming months.
Take the survey, learn from peers, and secure 500$/£/€ to invite your team to dinner or lunch.
Take the survey
YOU DO YOU
Make your life easier with a personal FAQ
Tired of answering the same questions over and over again? Make your life easier, even if your org doesn’t have an intranet or FAQs page.
Step 1: For the next month (or few months) keep a running list of questions you get across all mediums.
Step 2: Sort the questions. Deduplicate and polish your answers to all so everything’s crystal clear.
Step 3: Turn the document into a PDF and add it to the cloud or even print out some copies.
Step 4: When someone asks a familiar question, just point them to your master “knowledge base” and get on with your day.
TOGETHER WITH MONDAY.COM
We Love a Good Template
We’ve compared monday.com to the Swiss army knife of project management softwares — and they’ve taken it up a notch by launching industry specific templates.
Here are some of our fave templates that you can use today (for free):
For HR & Recruiting:
- HR Requests
- Employee Engagement Survey
- Employee Recruitment & Onboarding
- Job App Form
- Cross Company Event Planning
For EAs/Admins/Operations:
See more templates
LEVEL UP
Find your ideal event-planning template
Choose the quote that best describes your event-planning mentality to find the right template for you right now.
“I’m a visual person.”
- Your template: Airtable’s Event Planning Template
- Why you’ll love it: It’s super visual, primed for color-coding, and it boasts plenty of views, filters, and sorting preferences that help you see your planning breakdown in every way imaginable.
- Your template: monday.com’s Event Planning Template
- Why you’ll love it: Create your ultimate interactive checklist and stay blissfully organized and on top of everything, even as surprise tasks pour in.
- Your template: Company Picnic Checklist
- Why you’ll love it: All the big items you need to check off are contained on one gloriously printable page. (You can use the basic steps for any event—not just picnics.)
- Your template: SnackNation’s Corporate Event Planning Checklist
- Why you’ll love it: Pick the steps and timing guidelines you need to make a customized list for every event you plan.
WATERCOOLER TALK
One habit to boost your tech savvy
Why invest time and energy in keeping up with the infinite (and fast-moving) conveyor belt that is the modern technology landscape?
In a Q&A for Winds of Change magazine, software engineer James McGaa points out one simple and extremely compelling answer:
“Technology leverages the power of modern computation to enable us to perform work well beyond the capabilities of an individual,” he says. “Importantly, technology advances regardless of how well we keep up with it; we must keep in step with technology lest it, and its myriad opportunities and benefits, leave us behind.”
He also recommends a simple habit for anyone trying to stay in the know: Regularly reading tech-focused journalism. Bookmark his picks:
PARTNER PICKS
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Weve offers over 100 games you can play with your team to build stronger workplace culture.
Water Cooler Trivia is about to become your team’s new fave weekly ritual. Try it free for an entire month.
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