What is your biggest challenge? Today?

[mbrand2222]

When I first decided to become an "entrepreneur" I had a really hard time with the concept that I was no longer going to have a steady paycheck unless I got busy and earned one myself. That sense of security is what I think keeps people from going out on their own. I bet there are tons of great ideas out there but the people who have them are too insecure to take the leap and try to bring them to fruition. I feel for them but I say, "Go ahead and take the leap if you have someone that will help you when you fall. You never know until you try.".

[GT Bulmer]

Hi Mal
I understand exactly and I think that there are many of us in this position... MichelleJ

Hi, Michelle:

I agree. We share the same challenge in that respect.

Another thing that adds to the challenge is the fact that as Internet Marketers, many of us are still working hard at learning the trade - we are students. I know we are all believers in continuous learning, but the added challenge we face is that before we master one aspect of Internet Marketing, new ideas and new methods keep popping up causing us to have to go back to the drawing board, learn new techniques, and revamp our sites, blogs and other marketing materials.

It's a challenge trying to keep up with the changes, when we're already struggling for time. Oh, well. Isn't that just the nature of our existence, anyway? It's the human condition.

GT

[christew]

Outsourcing and time management, but I'm continually making progress.

[GT Bulmer]

Outsourcing and time management, but I'm continually making progress.

Hi, Chris:

There is a lot of talk these days of the value of outsourcing. We know that just about anything and everything can be outsourced, but it comes down to the "chicken and egg" conundrum: which came first?

For example, with outsourcing, do you wait until you are earning enough income to be able to afford somebody else to do the work for you? Or do you bite the bullet and "invest" in outsource services so you can leverage your time and resources towards greater sales and profit faster?

One direct question for you: what do you personally outsource?

GT

[christew]

One direct question for you: what do you personally outsource? GT

Lots of stuff from daily posting, linkbait, promotion, web developing.

I mainly do managerial stuff, editorial roles and training. Plus more hands on promotion and handling monetization strategy and general direction of the business.

Main challenges is getting stuff done more efficiently, at higher quality and removing myself from the process as much as possible

[David Hurley]

Hi Chris,

As a follow-up to GT's question, how do you find the best quality service for a given price? I have done a bit of outsourcing and found it a very hit-and-miss process so far.

[christew]

Hi Chris,

As a follow-up to GT's question, how do you find the best quality service for a given price? I have done a bit of outsourcing and found it a very hit-and-miss process so far.

- Look very very very hard.
- Be efficient when hiring so have questions or tasks set up ready to copy and paste. Think of more efficient ways to find out if they would be good at the job (e.g ask certain questions or give a 10 min. task). Looking through everyones CV is something I never do, I only look at the CVs of those final few I consider.
- Drop freelancers that don't make the grade sooner, rather than trying to teach them how to work.
- Be prepared to go through a few people before finding the right one.
- Document what you need done clearly and maintain this so that if you lose a freelancer you can put someone new in place without having to start over from scratch with training.

[MichelleJ]

I have done a little outsourcing, mainly getting a few articles written when I have been very short on time, but getting anything that is done well is expensive as far as I can see unless one has excellent recommended sources.

MichelleJ

[christew]

I have done a little outsourcing, mainly getting a few articles written when I have been very short on time, but getting anything that is done well is expensive as far as I can see unless one has excellent recommended sources.

MichelleJ

Its not expensive if you look hard enough. The most visible people to hire will consistently be more expensive.

There is more writers than writing jobs which creates a competitive market which keeps prices pretty low.

[GT Bulmer]

Hello:

I hear what Chris is saying about being efficient with the tasks and the directions for the people hired to do the outsourced tasks. Also, that it can be a trial and error process to find the right fit.

But I also hear what David and Michelle are saying about the challenge of finding the right fit. If you find it difficult and time-consuming to get all the necessary tasks done yourself, you might find it even more difficult to spend the time necessary to find the right people to outsource your tasks to.

Sounds to me like your first outsourced task would be to find a qualified virtual assistant who will research potential suppliers for your other outsourcing needs.

GT

[Alan Mater]

There is more writers than writing jobs which creates a competitive market which keeps prices pretty low.

Very true. Just go to any freelance site, and you'll find a ton of freelancers bidding on projects. Because it's so competitive, the price ends up being very low. Most of the time it's people from India that get the job because they're willing to do it for almost nothing.

The question of quality comes into play at this point. If you can find a writer that's willing to write an article for you for say $1, what kind of quality do you think you will get? I personally wouldn't expect much, but then again you never know.

There's no way I could afford to spend that much time on a project and get paid very little. I just can't compete with the competition, especially on GetAFreelancer. That's why forums are a major source of where my jobs come from.

There are people that may be cheaper with the services I provide, but that's okay. I've proven that I can provide a very professional and quality service, and a lot of the time people are willing to pay more knowing they're going to get that quality of work.

[christew]

The question of quality comes into play at this point.

Yeah quality is often correlated with price, but paying more won't always guarantee higher quality.

If you look around there is a huge amount of great writing talent that work at good prices. I was once one of those writers (started at $3/post) before I eventually ended up doing my own thing.

The internet has empowered almost anyone to become a writer very easily, which has opened up the job market, pushing down prices considerably.

[Alan Mater]

The question of quality comes into play at this point.

Yeah quality is often correlated with price, but paying more won't always guarantee higher quality.

If you look around there is a huge amount of great writing talent that work at good prices. I was once one of those writers (started at $3/post) before I eventually ended up doing my own thing.

The internet has empowered almost anyone to become a writer very easily, which has opened up the job market, pushing down prices considerably.

No, but it's a good indicator that you'll get good quality. People that provide quality know that they can raise prices due to the quality of their work. But, as you said, because of the competition these days, the prices are low and forcing people to charge less than they normally would.

It's finding the balance between the price you want to pay and the quality you want that can be a challenge. You may have to go through several different freelancers before you find one that will be your long-term provider.

I have a client I write articles for at very minimum prices. I don't mind it, though, because it's not my main service, and I know I'm helping the client out with getting more work. He has to charge lower prices because of the competition, so in turn I get paid less.

This brings up the question: Should freelancers lower their prices just to please the market and risk losing money in the long-run?

A problem I see is that people under-value their work too much and to the point where it's really not worth doing anymore. I would much rather keep my prices a bit higher and continue to provide outstanding service, rather than depreciate and devalue myself.

Should we let the market determine how much we're worth, or should we tell the market how much we're worth and let it up to them to decide if what we're saying is true?

[christew]

No, but it's a good indicator that you'll get good quality. People that provide quality know that they can raise prices due to the quality of their work.

It is certainly an indicator, but my personal experience after working with many many freelancers, that price is can be a weak indicator. Quite often the reason is some people are much better at marketing and selling themselves, which results in more clients, and higher prices. But their ability to market and sell themselves it not necessarily an indicator of their quality.

Should we let the market determine how much we're worth, or should we tell the market how much we're worth and let it up to them to decide if what we're saying is true?

The market always decides. The price is not set until a transaction takes place, so you could put your prices where-ever you want but if nobody wants to buy it, then the market has refused that price.

Its certainly true some people undervalue their work (just as some over-value), but you can only raise prices as much as people are willing to pay, and as you raise your prices you'll find fewer and fewer willing to pay (market forces).

If you can charge more than average in your industry then that is great, certainly you should not lower your prices and I was in no way suggesting that. Its up to the freelancer to try and get as much as they can for the work they do, but market forces will always limit that.

[Alan Mater]

No, but it's a good indicator that you'll get good quality. People that provide quality know that they can raise prices due to the quality of their work.

It is certainly an indicator, but my personal experience after working with many many freelancers, that price is can be a weak indicator. Quite often the reason is some people are much better at marketing and selling themselves, which results in more clients, and higher prices. But their ability to market and sell themselves it not necessarily an indicator of their quality.

Should we let the market determine how much we're worth, or should we tell the market how much we're worth and let it up to them to decide if what we're saying is true?

The market always decides. The price is not set until a transaction takes place, so you could put your prices where-ever you want but if nobody wants to buy it, then the market has refused that price.

Its certainly true some people undervalue their work (just as some over-value), but you can only raise prices as much as people are willing to pay, and as you raise your prices you'll find fewer and fewer willing to pay (market forces).

If you can charge more than average in your industry then that is great, certainly you should not lower your prices and I was in no way suggesting that. Its up to the freelancer to try and get as much as they can for the work they do, but market forces will always limit that.

Valid points on all ends.

I appreciate your insight and experience.

Do you have any tips for forum members on where the best place would be to find a reasonably priced freelancer that provides quality service, other than those already mentioned?