You Can’t Outsource Understanding

I’ve said it before but it warrants repeating here: There has really never been a better time to become an entrepreneur. The reason I say that is because we’re living in a golden age of resources. The Internet has made the world smaller, professional networking exponentially easier, connecting with vendors and advisors as simple as clicking a button. You can spend just a few minutes on the Web and find plenty of talented marketers, graphic designers, bookkeeping firms, and other professionals whose expertise can prove invaluable to your own business.

While there is much benefit to be gleaned from all these resources, though, there is also a significant danger—the danger that you might try to outsource too much; the danger that you might try to outsource what fundamentally shouldn’t be outsourced; the danger that you might try to outsource the understanding of your business and your market.

The Point of Outsourcing

Consider the point of outsourcing. You don’t outsource certain tasks just so that you can get by doing as little as possible. You outsource tasks as a way of better leveraging your time and your resources. You outsource the things that you can outsource—the things that don’t have to be done by you—so that you can spend more of your time creating value for your company. You outsource so that you can focus on your core responsibility as a business owner.

And what is that core responsibility? It’s understanding what makes your company tick; understanding your business, your vertical, and your customer base. And it’s using that understanding to make informed decisions on the company’s behalf.

When you enlist the services of a professional marketer or a professional copywriter, then, you want to utilize their expertise, and you can certainly take their guidance—but you don’t want to substitute their judgment for your own. At the end of the day, you’re the one pulling the lever. You’re the one making the tough calls about how your business should be run, because you’re the one who understands it. No one else will get your business like you do, and frankly no one else could possibly have the motivation to.

Developing Understanding

By the way: If you feel as though you don’t understand your business well enough, or as well as you used to, you may need to reconnect with certain areas of your business. Carrying out “menial” tasks—like customer service—might help you to reorient yourself to what your company really is, what it really does.

Doing so will help you to avoid the trap of overvaluing other opinions. Yes, there is something to be said for outside expertise—you should seek it, and take it to heart. Ultimately, though, you’re the one who has to call the shots; you don’t want to be insecure about your own decision-making, or to fall into the “well, you’re the expert” trap. You don’t want to outsource understanding, because that’s the one thing that only you can bring to your business.

You Can’t Outsource Understanding