How many of you are doing it all by yourself? This means: writer webmaster graphic designer marketer promoter tech support accountant lawyer tax attorney etc I mean EVERYTHING People keep telling me that I'm trying to do too much, that I should outsource some of this work or hire people. But my business isn't making enough to justify that, so I'm forced to do it all. Losing my mind, too. Just wondering if some of you are in the same boat, or if some of you have been here before and have some wisdom to offer. Cheers
I've been there twice, and so I know exactly what you're going through. My only suggestion is to pay very close attention and hire someone as soon as it becomes feasible. It's easy to get caught up in it and to ignore everything else because of it, then justify it by saying "others just don't understand". If other parts of your life are suffering big time, it's time to reevaluate things. /*tom*/
Is there a magic formula that tells you when you should start outsourcing? My site makes about $2000/month (after server expenses). I spend 10-12 hours per day on it. I'd love to hire a webmaster and a few writers, but even cheap labour would eat half my profits. I think if I could double my revenue, then it would be worth hiring outside help. But until then... argh. @godmode: I wish I had your positive attitude!!!!!
I do everything by myselft. I'm currently running only 3 websites and it already eats up a few hours of my day. I'm just starting up so I guess I need to put in a lot more time before I start making any significant profits. Only when I make this "significant" amount will I hire someone. The only thing I get anyone else to do is my taxes.
You mention you work 10-12 hrs per day on your site, but you didn't breakdown the time allocated to tasks. If you break down the time for each task and find yourself spending considerable time on a relatively unproductive task, then it is time to consider outsourcing to some degree. You write all your content at the minute - but does it take you 1hr a day or 8 hrs a day? If you do outsource, what would you devote your time to that would help your site grow? - marketing? There are a few questions you need to find the answer to and until you know how you can make better use of your time, you won't know how outsourcing will be able to help grow your business. There is no sense outsourcing the marketing, writing or even webmastering of the site if there is not going to be any long-term benefit to the growth of your site.
Doing it all myself! If life has learned me one thing, it's this: If you want something done properly, you ought to do it yourself The only person you can rely on, is you! (and sometimes that won't work either ) (and of course, I really like to be in control of everything )
I go to a tax guy once a year to do my annuals, otherwise, yeah, it's my business, I do it all...if you have a little bit of organizational abilities it's not that hard, at least I don't think so.
Brilliant analysis, Gan, thanks for putting it into perspective. I just realized that out of my 10-12 hr workday, at least 8 hrs is spent writing (or trying to write) for my site. So I guess that answers the question of where I need help the most. Aside from that, it's encouraging to hear from all the DIYers. I guess the whole point of Adsense is the idea that you CAN do it all by yourself, without hiring expensive marketing/sales/promotion teams. I guess I'm just going through a momentary pulling-my-hair-out phase. This will pass... P.S. This TOTALLY sums up my philosiphy in life:
passinthru, you mean every day 10-12 hours on it ? even weekends ? And how long since it's start it making $2k/month ?
I do most of the work myself on my sites as far as server administration, programming, and design. Some stuff I do outsource, though. I usually outsource easy SEM tasks and handle the SEO. One thing that I have found that makes my life much easier is Quicken Home & Business. It's $100, but it's worth every penny. My credit cards and bank accounts are linked to Quicken, and it makes everything a breeze. Technically, with the right work flow and attitude, it's possible to never need to hire a single employee
well... I sometimes do them all by myself .. but recently I've been hiring other people to do the other tasks for me.
Mostly by myself. Sometimes I want or need a hand though. It's always good to get some help and get things moving faster.
I do everything myself, and it probably shows... lol lately I've had an extra writer come onboard and it's been great though. Wish i'd done it 9 years ago when I started.