Outsourcing

What don't you know?

Seriously. What don't you know? Make a list!

To get the knowledge and skills we need to build our website we need to know what we don't know. And then, we are going to fills the gaps in our knowledge and develop the skills we need!

We Are Here to Help!

It's more shameless self promotion time again! Not only do we have a community that we hope you will join, we are also developing an Academy where you can learn! At the time of writing this article we are developing the courses and we aren't quite open, but why not get on the waiting list?!
Bring your questions to our community and we'll do our best to answer them, or point you to to resources that can help.

Search YouTube Tutorials

You can learn just about anything on YouTube. You just need to know what you don't know so you can find the knowledge you need.

Join Groups

Seek out groups, like ours, that are there to assist. Don't be shy. Ask questions. There are no stupid questions. There are only holes in your knowledge. Fill them!

Outsource

While you're learning you may need to outsource tasks to get you going. With limited budget this may be challenging, but it may be a compromise you need to make. Consider getting a student or intern to assist.

And remember, everything is hard until it isn't!

You've got this!

Do You Have Time?

Most small business owners are overwhelmed with the multitude of tasks confronting them. But, you've got limited budget, so you have little choice but to take on the role of web developer, or at least project manager. So now you have to find the time!

I've already talked about taking a little time to grab a coffee and thinking through what you want your site to do for you, your customers, etc. You can apply that same idea to defining a list of things you can handle well, adequately, and not at all!

Make haste slowly! We have a website to build, but first... coffee!

Delegate, Don't Abdicate!

Now that you have a list of things you simply cannot do yourself you might be tempted to hand it all over to someone else. But, it's a big mistake to hand over the process of website development to someone else and simply hope they get it right. That's that whole tail wagging the dog thing. You know your business, you know your needs, so take control. It will save you in the long run!

Now, armed with that list of what you can do versus what you simply cannot, you can start to delegate out tasks you can't handle. And by delegate I mean hand out the tasks, but have a process of follow up, and reporting the results in place. Make your expectations clear and follow up.

Don't be a Control Freak!

Yep, you heard me. Follow up doesn't mean hover. Back off! Let go a little bit! Seriously, micro managing is as bad as abdicating!

Define your tasks, outsource what you must, recruit help where you can, and oversee the work without handling every little detail. That's burnout just waiting to happen! And frankly, it's just plain annoying!

Someone wants to have a go at installing WordPress for you? Great - let them! Have them report the results, issues, etc... and hopefully the success.

Someone wants to research some articles, great, let them! Give them feedback and encouragement. 80% there is better than never done!

If no one volunteers, try asking 🙂

If that fails, get them to bring the coffee at least!

Perfection is Not Your Friend!

Please, let go of the thought that there is a perfect results if only you just do this, or that, or move this pixel to the left or right. It's not perfection you need, it's results you can build on.

It's never finished. This is phase 1, or 2, or whatever phase it is. There will be changes. You will learn and refine. Allow yourself the grace to get it wrong without beating yourself up. It's called feedback, and it's teaching you! You have limited time, and many demands, don't waste it with being a perfectionist.

Energy

If you want to sap your energy being a perfectionist is a great way to start! Another great way is to overthink everything! Stop that. Stop it now!

Look, done is better than perfect. Ok? Cut yourself some slack, you're doing great! Brick by imperfect brick.

Conserve your energy. If you are learning something new, don't overdo the hours in front of the screen feeling exhausted and frustrated. Go to bed. Sleep. And tomorrow pick it up again.

Ask for help. At the risk of shameless self promotion, join our Facebook Group - The Rough Diamond Academy Community. That's why we're there, to help! Ask, please 🙂

Scope

Be realistic. If time, energy and money are limited, then don't be tempted to bite off more than you can reasonably chew. I'm all for you challenging yourself, but within reason.

Perhaps consider developing your website in phases. List the absolute must haves, the nice to haves, the wouldn't hurt to have but not critical to haves, etc. Prioritise and proceed with phase 1.

You've got this, and you are not alone!

Look out for part 3, where we talk about knowledge and skills.

Let's Begin with Budget

If you're going to build or redevelop a website a great starting point is budget. How much can you reasonably afford to allocate to it? Ideally you have a nice marketing war chest you have been accumulating for just such an occasion. No? Oh well...

I'm going to assume you either don't have, or haven't allocated enough to outsource your project in its entirety. If you have, great you're covered. And I say this because in my experience most small businesses have many competing priorities and marketing budgets tend to get eaten up by all those other things. Shame. But that's a topic for another day.

So, we're short on cash, what are our options?

Hmm, they're diminishing. This is the dilemma. Where do I best spend my limited budget so that I get the best outcomes? Well, it's easy isn't it? I'll just install WordPress, buy a theme and do it myself!

If only!

But let's look at a few things we need to spend our budget on, and some ways we can minimise our spend without compromising our results too dramatically.

Design the Website

Ok, this is going to annoy a few people... mainly designers. But design is not the first thing I look at when I think of building a website. Seriously, it's only third on my list. It's important, but not the number one priority. So it always amazes me that people spend so much money on the design first. That's a great way to end up with the tail wagging the dog!

Before you spend a cent, here's a process you should step through first!

1) Spend some quality time pondering this question, and refining the answer. It's critical.

What do I want this website to do for my business? What are are the critical steps I want visitors to take when they arrive?

If you have come up with a list of things, prioritise them! You'll want the most critical of them right up front! It might cost you a few coffees or cups of tea to find the answers. It might cost you a little time, but it will save you in the long run!

2) Now, ask yourself:

What will visitors to my site most likely expect to see when they arrive. What are their expectations and needs going to be? Can I meet them?

If you can match those needs with your services, products, information, etc, and make the process of doing that easy, you are well on your way to success.

3) Now, give some thought to how matching those two things might look!

Now at this point you haven't engaged a designer. You haven't spent a dime! (Except maybe for those coffees)

When you have a tight budget, one of the best ways you can maximise it is by thinking through the process thoroughly before you do anything else! A well thought out brief will help to minimise the spend!

Now, if you have the skills, time and energy, you can build the site yourself, with a little guidance. That'll save you some coin, but more on that later.

A little on Logo Design

Here's a shock: your logo really isn't that important! Not a first at least. Don't spend a fortune on it, and it doesn't need to be bigger on your website! Really, it doesn't! Less is more people. Don't believe me? Here's a list of the top 10 Fortune 500 Companies 2020. Check out their sites, and note size and logo simplicity:

Walmart
Amazon
ExxonMobil
Apple
CVS Health
Berkshire Hathaway
United Health Group
McKesson
AT&T
AmerisourceBergen

Their logos are all simple and small on their sites, and one of those sites is just plain ugly! If you have what people are looking for, and they can get it easily, they will buy from you regardless of your logo (and even an ugly site!)

You can probably design yourself a simple start out logo on canva.com. You can always update it later. Companies do it all the time!

Content Creation

Ok, this one just drives me nuts! You don't need a copywriter! (Sorry copywriters!) You may need an editor, but hey, you have limited funds, so write you own copy! It's not about being perfect. It's about being you, and authentic. It's about presenting the solutions to your visitors' problems! Read that last one again! It's about their problems, and your solutions matching! So here's a tip - About Us is not a great place to begin!!

So again, for the cost of some time and caffeine - you can create content!

Website Hosting

You can definitely do this yourself! But I hasten to add, please don't go uber cheap and nasty! Spend a little more to get quality hosting. Do some research, and find a reputable hosting company that has great support and recommendations.

I could go on, but the point of all this is to get you to stop and think about where you spend your money and to ensure you get bang for your buck! It's limited, so it matters!

Outsourcing and Professional Services

Ok, to be clear I am not anti outsourcing or hiring of professional services. I'm totally for it in the right circumstances. My business is after all, in that category. But, when your budget is tight, you want to ensure you are allocating it to only the most critical areas. Things you simply cannot do yourself, given limits on money, time and energy!

Now, at this point it's a toss up between what to address next. Time, energy, or skills? Hmm...

Look out for Part 2!