The big trend lately in internet marketing has been to replace yourself with outsourced workers from other countries.
It has almost become a mantra of many gurus…continually talking about it over and over again.
But what about when you simply don’t want to replace yourself?
Perhaps you like what you do…or you’re good at it.
Let’s take an example in my own business. I enjoy writing. I do. I enjoy producing videos. And I even enjoy doing interviews.
So while I could release a lot more products if I hired out this work to others…and potentially make even more money doing it, there are some big drawbacks to that approach.
#1 – The quality would drop.
There are several online publishers that I used to buy ANYTHING they put out. Now I know they’re outsourcing much of the product creation, and guess what? Their products just aren’t that good anymore. They’re hiring non-experts to produce products that need to be done by experts.
#2 – I’d be giving up something I do enjoy (the writing) for something I don’t enjoy (checking other people’s work before we release it).
I’m not an editor. I don’t want to edit or “check” their work before we release it. That’s one of the jobs I do outsource out to others because it’s not what fits me.
Let me give you another example. One of my associates, Fred Gleeck, has told me he likes to sit in front of the TV and prepare products to ship out. That’s definitely minimum wage work, but he enjoys do it. It’s part of his relaxation time.
Almost any of the outsourcing gurus would tell him what a mistake it is to do this himself, but he was still doing it last I checked. If he changes and outsources it, so what? It would simply mean he didn’t want to do it anymore.
I have the same attitude in my business. I do the parts of my business I enjoy whether they’re the most profitable parts or not.
Part of it being an internet lifestyle for me is getting to make the choice. I’m not told what I have to do or don’t have to do. It’s my choice.
What I personally hate doing is any kind of “routine” marketing activity. This includes items like submitting out articles, press releases, contacting potential affiliates, etc.
YUCK to all of it!
And if I was “required” to do it personally, it simply would not get done…EVER.
That’s why I’ve figured out how I want it done and recorded how to do it in videos. Then I’ve taught outsourced workers and interns how to do that for me.
But am I really “replacing myself?” Nope, because I never liked doing any of that work anyway.
I do the strategic work and the writing. And I don’t intend to replace myself in those jobs anytime soon.
So my suggestion instead of trying to replace everything you do in business is to figure out…
– What parts of your business you love to do and do extremely well.
– Which parts of your business you HATE or do poorly.
Outsource the parts you don’t enjoy. You could even make this into an exercise and list EVERYTHING it takes to keep your business running well. List each little individual element. For example, you might write researching blog topics, writing the blog post, editing the post, and posting to WordPress as all separate items.
Now go through your list and SCORE your answers. Give yourself an A for activities you love to do and are very good at. Go on down the list giving yourself an F for activities you hate and are poor at anyway.
Your goal now is to outsource all the F through B activities.
Think of yourself not just as a business owner, but also as a professional athlete or musician.
Can that professional athlete “replace themself” in their activity. No. No one else is going out there and throwing the 5 touchdowns in the game for them. They’re not hiring Mark from India to make the touchdown pass.
But they can outsource every other activity that surrounds it so they can focus on MASTERY of their profession.
I’ve mentioned it in other places, but it bears repeating here. The people I know who are most successful online have developed a sellable skill (copywriting, writing, video production, PPC traffic, SEO, etc.). The more they concentrate on and master that skill, the better off they are.
So the question isn’t really on how to replace yourself. It’s about how to become who you really are. Allow everything else to handed off to others so you can FOCUS on your natural gifts.
Check out the Internet Lifestyle System to see how I focused on my skillset…and produced training materials you could even use to train your team of outsourced workers. It’s not about just replacing yourself. It’s about building a lifestyle you love and enjoy…and was custom designed for You and your family.
If you have any commetns, I’d love to hear your feedback over on my Facebook page.
