Kevin's Case Study #5 - Different "hats" you wear

[Kevin Lee]

To help all entrepreneurs (especially aspiring new ones), I'd like to ask:

1.) What is your small business?
2.) Then list the numerous "hats" you're required to wear in order to succeed. Moreover, go on to rate each job function on a scale of "1 = generalist" to "10 = expert" and even which tasks you outsource.

Perhaps this post will act as a decisive factor on whether a person should pursue a specific business idea or not.

For example, if I owned my own bakery, I'd create my list as follows:

1.) Professional Baker
2.) Different hats I'm required to wear:
-Dessert making (8-10)
-Customer service/Sales (7) - Job function is outsourced
-Accounting (5) - Job function is outsourced
-Marketing (4) - Job function is outsourced
-etc...

[litekepr]

To help all entrepreneurs (especially aspiring new ones), I'd like to ask:

1.) What is your small business?
2.) Then list the numerous "hats" you're required to wear in order to succeed. Moreover, go on to rate each job function on a scale of "1 = generalist" to "10 = expert" and even which tasks you outsource.

Perhaps this post will act as a decisive factor on whether a person should pursue a specific business idea or not.

For example, if I owned my own bakery, I'd create my list as follows:

1.) Professional Baker
2.) Different hats I'm required to wear:
-Dessert making (8-10)
-Customer service/Sales (7) - Job function is outsourced
-Accounting (5) - Job function is outsourced
-Marketing (4) - Job function is outsourced
-etc...

Well, let me see what I can come up with ---

My main business is a consulting business and I run all business ventures through that company - that's why I chose consulting - lots of flexibility.

Various hats --
1 - Fiction author - 9
2 - Non fiction author under two different names - 9
3 - Bookkeeping and tax prep for 5 businesses including my own - 8
4 - Promotional services for other authors (started building this in Jan) - 9
5 - Promotional services for other businesses (starting to promote) - 9
6 - Business management consultant for 4 businesses - 9
7 - Free promotional services for authors - could outsource at some point, but since I do this for free...
8 - Answering and initiating all emails - could outsource some of this
9 - managing 5 website - would like to outsource at some point
10 - overseeing a Yahoo message board - did outsource, but lost member
11 - managing marketing for a home improvement business - training the other owner to do more of the work
12 - trying to have a life -- seems to be outsourced on a regular basis

There are a million small duties and at this point, I am building the promotional business and I am doing the majority of the work. I personally trained a touring author lately and he helps me with some promo research - I find a way to teach him something new and he volunteers to help I'm simply not big enough to pay someone to do some of the work, but I'm working into some things that will allow me to delegate some work to someone else - when there's enough income to pay another person.

Shri

[jvprosperity]

My core business is helping business manage relationships with thier cusrrent clients and generate referrals through them.

Relationship building - 9

Sales and Marketing - 3 to 4 (I've just systematized this and have Sales people successfully duplicating my actions to generate sales)

Bookkeeping - 1

Invoicing - 1 (processed online)

Administration & Customer Service - 6 (I still answer all my emails and field calls from Clients - looking to change this within the next 4 months once Sales Agents are more experienced)

Website Management - 1

Product Demonstrations - 6 (this score goes down each month as more Sales Agents are hired)

Coaching and Training (Sales Agents and Clients) - 7

[Evan]

Great topic Kevin!

My business is obviously my website, a part of which are these forums. In terms of tasks I usually do the following:

- Business vision and direction: 10
- Strategic partnerships: 8 (I do it for most of my site while Kevin has begun for the forums)
- Managing staff and assigning tasks: 8 (Again, I do it for most of my site while Kevin has begun for the forums)
- Content development: 2 (Most of this is done by my authors and staff but I get involved in the management from time to time)
- Advertising / sponsorship: 10 (I'm very hands on here as it's the way that I make my money)
- SEO: 10 (With so much of my traffic coming from the search engines, if I'm not on top of new developments then I'm not driving traffic and I'm not in business)

Generally I've picked the tasks that I most enjoy and feel that I can contribute my skills to. The other tasks are given to people who have expertise in those areas and produce great work.

[OmnivoreInk]

My duties

1) Research the articles that goes into each of my webzines - science fiction in all media, various sports (Yay, Lady Vols, 8th championship in 2008, by the way!)

2) Write the articles

3) Format and upload them to the web

4) Email and network various contacts to get out the word that new articles are available.

5) Email authors, actors, etc. etc. to see if they want to do interviews.

6) Advertise for more contributors - and then edit and upload their material!

[Kevin Lee]

My duties

1) Research the articles that goes into each of my webzines - science fiction in all media, various sports (Yay, Lady Vols, 8th championship in 2008, by the way!)

2) Write the articles

3) Format and upload them to the web

4) Email and network various contacts to get out the word that new articles are available.

5) Email authors, actors, etc. etc. to see if they want to do interviews.

6) Advertise for more contributors - and then edit and upload their material!

Hi Barbara,

Would you be able to rate each of your job functions on a scale of "1 = generalist" to "10 = expert" and even which tasks you outsource?

Thanks

[OmnivoreInk]

Rating: Generalist
Research the articles that goes into each of my webzines - science fiction in all media, various sports
Anyone with the time and inclination can read up on these things


Rating: Somewhat skilled
Write the articles
It's one thing to research an article and get facts, it's another to be able to put them on the page in a coherent fashion so people want to read them.

Rating: Skilled
Format and upload them to the web
I started out not using a content management system, and I still don't use one. So I really have to work twice as hard as I should, because I have to do all the links myself, across the table of contents, splash page, etc. But I like the freedom of being able to format articles in different ways depending on what they are.... (also I don't have time to learn how to use a CMS!)


Rating: Generalist
Email and network various contacts to get out the word that new articles are available.
Anyone with time can find places on the web interested in my content, that will accept links, etc. Just a question of doing research.

Rating: skilled
Email authors, actors, etc. etc. to see if they want to do interviews.

Anyone who wants to do this has to be very knowledgeable on the subject if they're doing a phone interview, less knowledgeable if its an email interview - which is what I always try to do - because you don't have to come up with split second information you might not know about!

Rating: generalist
Advertise for more contributors - and then edit and upload their material!
Advertising in varius places doesn't take a lot of skill, but then the circle of editing, formatting and uploading their work begins...

I could outsource much of it if I had the money, but again, my zines are making just enough to keep me in Pepsis and Chocolate... and most people prefer to work for cash now, rather than deferred money in the form of proceeds from Adsense... frustrating but true...

[WendyHearn]

Hi Kevin,

Great question, made me stop and think.

1) business coaching and marketing products/services using the internet

2) Coach (10)
Writing articles, ebooks and courses etc. (9)
Accounts - outsourced
web design - outsourced
Marketing planning and strategy, and SEO (8)
Implementing the above - mostly outsourced
Updating websites (4)
Answering emails (5) - some outsourced
refreshments - outsourced when I visit a coffee shop!
Research (8)

I'm sure there's more, but that will do for now.

Wendy

[BizLoanz4u]

As an owner/operator, I wear many hats...especially when employees become ill, go on vacation or resign.

Here's the hat's i've worn over the years:

1) Manager (skilled)
2) Salesman (very skilled)
3) Book keeper/ Accountant (somewhat skilled)
4) Publicist (somewhat skilled)
5) Payroll officer (skilled)
6) Receptionist (very skilled)
7) Secretary (very skilled)

[Kevin Lee]

As an owner/operator, I wear many hats...especially when employees become ill, go on vacation or resign.

Here's the hat's i've worn over the years:

1) Manager
2) Salesman
3) Book keeper/ Accountant
4) Publicist
5) Payroll officer
6) Receptionist
7) Secretary

Hi Michele,

Would you be able to rate each of your job functions on a scale of "1 = generalist" to "10 = expert" and even which tasks you outsource?

Thanks

[Sebastien]

I am the Director of Marketing for SourceBook publications, a company that publishes Franchise guides (Bond's Franchise Guide) as well as franchise websites, WorldFranchising.com being our main one.

I'm the Director of Marketing but I guess I am more of a General Manager.

Here are some of my duties. I might be forgetting a few ones:

General Marketing - 10
SEO - 9
Sales - 7
PR - 8
People Management - 8
Business Development - 8
Web stuffs - 5

[RussellWebb]

I have a business that produces beautiful custom rugs for home and business environments.

Different hats that I'm wearing...

Rug Fabrication - 10 (partially outsourced to an outfit here in the US)
Customer Service / Sales - 8-10
Bookkeeping - 1
Marketing - 6
Website development - 5 (mainly outsourced)
SEO, SEM - 6-8
Accounting - (outsourced)

[TheRainmaker]

CEO Sales & Marketing & Leadership Development Company

Strategic Vision 10
Alliances & Growth Strategies 10
Hiring & Managing People 8
Mentoring 8-9
Strategic Planning for Clients 10
Execution of Marketing Campaigns 9-10 (i have great people who do the nitty gritty)
Financial Management 9
Bookkeeping 3 (outsourced as I really hate the fine details like GST0
Administrative Follow Up 6-7 (again have great staff)
Writing & Publishing 9 (getting better all the time!)
Speaking 10 (so I have been told)
Self Promotion 9-10
Web development & Promotion 6-7 (learning more and have brought on players who are 10+)
Babysitting Employees (1 - wont do it, that's why I work so hard to hire and motivate the people I have)

Great topic Kevin!!

Jude

[bennyboy7]

Cross Media Designer

Website design - 10
Printing - 2 (outsourced)
SEO - 9 - Some larger jobs outsourced
Sales - 10 (but thinking of out sourcing - im not a sales person but just being myself works!!!)
People Management - 10 (Plenty of tea and biscuits!)
Accounts - 9 - (Final Calculations outsourced)
Administration / Customer Service - 10 (slowy need more help thou - clients are hard work!)
Copy writing - 9 - May outsource at some stage!
IT - 8 - Some problems need a 'real' professional
Cleaner - 101!!!!! - loads of paper in the bin after brainstorming - I hate mess!

Real good topic Kevin, I think the more hats you wear, the more appreciative you are of the people around you.

Im trying to keep costs down, so wearing all the hats is cost effective, but soon I know I will have to outsource more and more duties. Maybe when I loose my hair!

[David Hurley]

Hi Kevin,

Thinking about my Japanese-Games-Shop.com business, here are the different "hats" I wear as someone who sells Japanese games (shogi, hanafuda, mahjong, karuta) and manga comics direct from Japan to a worldwide customer base...


1. Japanese games expert - 10
2. Japanese manga expert - 5 (this varies from title to title between 1-10, so "5" is the fairest option!)
3. General product research - 7
4. Website design - 4 (my website has a deliberately "amateurish" feel to it! )
5. Website promotion - 8 (Thanks to the power of niche marketing, I was an accidental expert until recently! )
6. Product purchasing - 10
7. Customer service (This can be patchy, depending on my other commitments. At its best, 10! Speed of turnaround varies greatly, depending on what has been ordered and when the order comes in...)
8. Packing and shipping - 9-10 in terms of choosing the best method, packing the goods etc...