Education and Outsourcing, 2 Ways to Improve your Business.

By Joop Liefaard
Posted Sunday, September 12, 2004

Develop your skills and talents to perfection and outsource what you lack. If you have a talent for writing, become the perfect salesletterwriter and if you don't know how to build a web site let an expert do that for you. By using education and outsourcing all tasks in your business are done well and you stay ahead of your competitors.

1. Your Objective and Strategy

If you organize your business you formulate an objective and develop a strategy to reach that objective. You also define the tools that you need to make the strategy work. Like sales letters, budgets, investment in hardware and software, education has to be an integral part of your tool box. When you have the whole picture ready you have a very good idea what skills and abilities you need to bring the journey to a good end. But there is another thing.

2. Changes

We live in a time of rapid changes. Everything around us changes in an incredible speed and it effects us all. There is also an effect on the way we are doing business. New views on economics, technical changes, new and very fast ways of communication through the virtual highway...it all asks for an attitude of anticipation and a refreshment of knowledge, skills and abilities. You must prepare yourself in time for the future. If you don't, you lose because your competitors do and try to take your share of the market.

3. Talents

Everybody has talents. One has a talent for languages and is an excellent copy writer, another has a creative talent and is a very good web designer. Your talents make you good in one task and less suitable for others. You should constantly evaluate yourself; which task is done well and which task needs improvement. However the problem is that with the growing complexity of your business you can't do everything equally well. And to be successful every aspect of your business has to be outstanding.

4. Two Lessons

There is something funny about people. What they don't have they will never get. A lack of talent for mathematics can never be compensated by studying hard. It will always be a weak point. On the other hand, they can improve their real talents into perfection. This holds two lessons for you and these lessons are:

1. Never try to learn something for which you don't have a talent. It takes a lot of time and money to only understand the basics. Time and money can be better used. E.g. for talking with an expert in the field you try and cannot master. This is called outsourcing. Outsourcing to others what they do more efficiently is a successful management strategy and not a sign of weakness.

2. Develop your talents into perfection. Never stop improving yourself in the things you are really good at. Become an expert in what suits you. Education is the only way to improve the knowledge of your own intellectual capital.

The bottomline of this article is that you should be well aware of your talents as well as of your limitations when developing your business or anticipating changes. You should always be prepared to act efficiently. Educate yourself to the highest level possible, or outsource tasks.

About the Author
Joop Liefaard uses his experience as a human resources manager to help small business owners to better organize themselves and their enterprises. Visit his website at (http://www.ezine-with-a-plus.com) , for information about "best-rated" home business opportunities, effective tools and honest support. Here you grab a FREE subscription to his Ezine-with-a-plus Business Tips Newsletter.